The Seventh Year
by English-Foxlette
Summary: The sequel to both The Masquerade AND The Magical Storm. Hope this pleases you all! DMHG. Chapter 15 aka 16 up! Hope everyone's enjoying it! Please review if you like it, or even if you dont! It's finally DONE!
1. Prologue

**So I guess I finally caved, huh? Maybe it was the coaxing of my new friends Ashley and Gabby, or maybe it was the mountains of emails i got saying, "SEQUELS PLEASE!" Well, whatever reason it was...here is the sequel! Also, I put my screen name up so I could meet fellow authors, not so that people could stalk me through my away messages and stuff. So if you're not gunna IM me, take me off your buddy list, ok? Alright, so...here it is! This is just the prologue (rather short, but it's just summing up the end of the 6th year and kinda the beginning of seventh) so i hope you guys like it. So please, read on and review. If you want anything in particular to happen in the story, feel free to write it up in your review (along with some constructive criticism) or IM me and tell me. OK, read on and remember! I don't own Harry Potter so don't sue! lotsa love English-Foxlette**

PROLOGUE  
  
"Beg for your life mudblood," a cold voice commanded. A lightning bolt scar could be seen in the dim lighting of the dungeon. Harry Potter held up his wand threateningly, the tip pressed into Hermione Granger's neck. Salty tears spilled down her cheeks, her lips trembling.  
  
"Harry...why are you doing this?" Hermione sobbed out. This wasn't the Harry she knew and loved. But ever since the masquerade (which everyone soon forgot, as some of the disguising charms went rather...awry) and the magical storm in which she spent her time with Slytherin Draco Malfoy, Harry hadn't been at all himself. Ron confessed Harry would wake up screaming and clutching his forehead. More recently, Harry's voice had changed dramatically. It was deeper, and...scarier.  
  
"Because muggle-borns like you need to die!" Harry yelled, pushing his wand further into Hermione's throat. Hermione cried out in pain as more tears flowed out of her eyes.  
  
"You're not Harry!" Hermione said, opening her eyes weakly to stare down her assailer.  
  
"Brilliant deduction Granger. Now, prepare to die," Harry drawled.  
  
"Put down the wand, Potter," a voice behind Harry called out. Out of the shadows walked Draco Malfoy, his wand poised to attack.  
  
Harry's head jerked around, his hand easing off Hermione's to point at the disturbance. Harry glared at the silver eyed Slytherin.  
  
"Ahh, son of the Malfoy's. Have you come here to save your little girlfriend?" Harry asked in a mocking tone.  
  
"As a matter of fact I have. Now leave her alone. Or else!" Draco threatened, taking a step towards Harry.  
  
"Or else what?" Harry challenged.  
  
"Or else I'll have to use an unforgivable on you. I don't care what the consequences are. I'd spend my entire life in Azkaban if I knew I had killed you and saved Hermione," Draco declared.  
  
"Aww...well isn't that sweet. Your father will be very disappointed when he hears about this. Too bad...Crucio!" Harry cried out suddenly. Draco fell to the ground, screaming in pain. His body was on fire. It felt like he was being pulled apart, piece by piece. His skin felt like it was being eaten away by acid. His head throbbed with an extremely horrible migraine. He was almost sure his heart was about to stop.  
  
Harry then released Draco from the spell. The blonde young man was curled into a ball on the floor, convulsing silently.  
  
"Draco! No!" Hermione screamed, sobbing harder than ever.  
  
"I'll take care of him later. But right now, I need to destroy you," Harry said, turning his head back towards Hermione.  
  
"Hope you had a nice life, mudblood," Harry spat out, his eyes narrowed. Hermione's mind raced. So many memories flooded back to her. The first time she met Ron and Harry...all the encounters with Voldemort...Victor Krum and the Tri-Wizard Tournament...All the different people she met at the meetings of the Order of the Phoenix. Hermione then heard the soft flapping of wings, and it was then she was sure she had gone insane.  
  
"Avada Kedavra!" Harry cried out. With those words a green beam of light shot out from the tip of his wand and started to make its way over to Hermione. Hermione closed her eyes and prepared for the worst.  
  
'So long world...' Hermione thought sadly.  
  
But what Hermione expected never came. Instead, a loud squawk was heard, followed by a loud thump. Hermione cautiously opened one eye, and saw the smoldering body of Fawkes lying on the ground, motionless. Hermione opened her other eye and knelt down, picking up the body of the bird. Then Hermione's eyes snapped forward. If Fawkes was here...  
  
"We meet again, Voldemort," a calm voice came from the top of the stairs.  
  
'Voldemort? Of course! Why didn't I think of it sooner?' Hermione thought, clutching the bird to her chest.  
  
Dumbledore walked serenely down the stairs, his wand clutched tightly in his hand. Harry took a few steps back.  
  
"You!" he hissed.  
  
"Tsk, tsk. Using your enemy's body to do your dirty work?" Dumbledore queried. Hermione ran a quick scan of the situation in her head and came to the conclusion that Harry, her best friend, had been put under the Imperius curse.  
  
"So what if I am? Would you really kill the 'Boy-Who-Lived?' I don't think you would," Harry tempted. (AN: Or should I say, 'Voldemort tempted'?)  
  
"You're right, but that doesn't mean I you out of him," Dumbledore replied, walking down the last step and getting even closer to Harry. Hermione had never heard Dumbledore speak in this tone before. It wasn't calm and cool; it was...panicked, angry, and threatening. Hermione could see that Harry was a little unsure.  
  
"Let's see how you like the Cruciatus Curse. Crucio!" Dumbledore bellowed. Once again, Hermione watched as a green beam exited a wand and flow out and hit its' target.  
  
Hermione watched again in horror as Harry fell to the ground. He screamed and clutched his scar, his finger turning white from gripping his head. Harry then rolled over onto his back and put a hand over his scar.  
  
"Stop the pain! Ah! The PAIN!" Harry screamed.  
  
Dumbledore lowered his wand and rubbed his brow with the back of his hand. Harry stopped twitching and fell silent.  
  
"What...happened to him?" Hermione questioned, not daring to move a muscle.  
  
"Let's just say Voldemort won't try to use Harry's body for his own business anymore," Dumbledore explained.  
  
"What happened...to Potter..." said a weak voice on the other side of the room. Draco was leaning heavily on his left arm while he winced in pain. Hermione rushed over to his side to help him up.  
  
"That doesn't matter right now, just get up to the hospital wing, and don't tell anyone about what just happened. Now, is everyone alright?" Dumbledore asked, the familiar calm coming back into his voice. Hermione only nodded while Draco grunted softly.  
  
"Miss Granger, please help Mister Malfoy up to the hospital wing. I'll be right behind you with Mister Potter," Dumbledore explained. Hermione nodded again, and pulled Draco's arm over her shoulder, helping him ease up the stairs. Hermione looked back at the dead Phoenix on the ground and smiled weakly.

'Thank you, Fawkes...' she thought.  
  
Once out into the hallway, Hermione turned to Draco.  
  
"I love you, you know that?" Hermione whispered, kissing Draco's cheek lightly.  
  
"I love you, too," Draco mumbled back.  
  
"Now, let's get you taken care of," Hermione said earnestly, pulling Draco in the direction of the hospital wing.

* * *

"You have to do something, Albus! Those children are scarred and hurting!"  
  
"I know Minerva! But in order for them to really be alright, do you know how many memories I have to erase?" Dumbledore said, rubbing his temples.  
  
"It doesn't matter! They'll go insane, remembering the pain they went through!" Professor McGonagall cried.  
  
"Fine, but this is going to take some time. I'm going to have to erase memories out of every student's head, so it won't be too obvious they've been tampered with. I'll need your help, Minerva, as well as the rest of the staff members," Dumbledore replied.  
  
"I can't speak for everyone else, but I'm ready and willing," McGonagall said.  
  
"I'll call an emergency staff meeting tonight, and one by one, we'll have the students come to my office in the following days, and erase parts of their memories,"  
  
"The only thing I regret...is that Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy will go back to hating each other, and Gryffindor and Slytherin will no longer be at peace with each other," the Transfiguration teacher said sadly, staring down at the floor.  
  
"If it was meant to be, they'll be together again," Dumbledore said wisely. Professor McGonagall nodded, and then left the room, leaving Dumbledore to his thoughts.  
  
"So he can successfully use my students as dummies...I should look into preventing that next time," he said quietly to himself. He sighed deeply, and rose up from his chair. Dumbledore smoothed out his robes and exited the room of requirement, to meet the fellow staff members in his office.

* * *

"I wonder why we have to go to Dumbledore's office one by one...It's a bit fishy if you ask me," Ron whispered to Hermione, who was currently mixing some doxy wings into a vile of green liquid. Ron shrugged and documented the affect the winds had on the potion.  
  
"It doesn't matter, Ron. Just...I'm sure there's a logical reason for this," Hermione said nervously. She knew enough to keep her mouth shut, but she couldn't help exchanging knowing glances with Draco as the students around them speculated about the one on one meetings.  
  
"Too bad Harry fell off his broom last night, and isn't here to enjoy this _lovely_ potions class," Ron said, his voice dripping with bitter sarcasm. Today, Snape seemed even more angry and strict, much to the class's "utter delight." Hermione only nodded in agreement.  
  
Once again, Hermione heard the quiet flapping of wings, and looked up hopefully. To her sadness, a black owl flew in, dropped a letter on Snape's desk, and then flew away. Unusual behavior, since most owls stopped to wait for a reply... Snape disdainfully picked up the letter, his eyes scanning over it quickly.  
  
"Would Misters' Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Weasley, Longbottom, and Finnegan please escort Misses' Parkinson, Bullstrode, Granger, Patil, and Brown up to the Headmasters office?" his dull voice called out to the students. The students whispered to one another as they grabbed their books and bags and filed out the door. Hermione and Draco were last. When Hermione reached the door, Draco took her hand in his, and they walked silently towards Dumbledore's office.  
  
Gryffindors and Slytherins alike waited in a line as one by one, they went in to speak with Dumbledore. First was Neville Longbottom. He gulped nervously and walked in. The door closed solidly behind him, which in some strange way, frightened the students outside. He appeared five minutes later, and rushed by hurriedly, saying he had to make sure he got back to Potion's class in time, he needed all the time he could get to document the days' assignment.  
  
Soon, almost the whole line had gone in and come out of Dumbledore's office, all saying they had to get back to Potion's, and otherwise acting as if nothing was wrong. Hermione shot a worried look as Ron ran by, waving and grinning, before disappearing into a door in the wall. Hermione stared after him  
  
"He's going to erase our memories," a masculine voice from behind Hermione said. Hermione looked back, and saw Draco looking at her sadly.  
  
"You mean..." Hermione started, before wrapping her arms around Draco's waist.  
  
"We're not going to remember what we have," Draco whispered, wrapping his own arms around the muggle-born brunette in front of him.  
  
"I don't want to forget," Hermione whispered.  
  
"Neither do I,"  
  
"Hey, Hermione! You're next!" Parvati exclaimed as she skipped out of the office. Hermione let go of Draco and turned towards the doors, just to have her arm caught.  
  
"We might not be able to do this for a while, so let's make it last," Draco said, as he bent down to kiss Hermione lightly on the lips. Hermione deepened the kiss and parted her lips. Ever so skillfully, Draco slipped his tongue into her mouth and brought Hermione's out to dance.  
  
"Miss Granger?" a voice from within the office called. Hermione touched her lips and stepped backwards. She smiled genuinely at him, and turned and dashed into Dumbledore's office.  
  
"I love you," Draco said after the doors closed behind her.

* * *

**OK. A few quick things:  
-This was kind of a spur of the moment thing (in other words not my best work, sorry ;;)  
-Harry is NOT evil, he was just...entranced.but he's ok now!  
-It's the end of their 6th year  
  
Now...please review with some constructive criticism, and what you guys want to happen, or what you think will happen. Hope you liked it **


	2. The Pact and the Announcement

**Alright, just to clear up things even further: Everyone in school had bits and pieces of their memory erased so that none of them would remember that Voldemort was even in their midst (if they even had an inkling of what was going on.) Hermione, Draco, and Harry had large parts of their memory altered so that they would forget the extreme amount of pyschologically and physically crushing pain. Many events led up to the disaster, so many things had to be forgotten, including Hermione and Draco's crush on each other. But don't fear! It'll all work out in the end! So please read and review! Thanks a bunch! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1  
  
Hermione Granger sat in a train cabin talking excitedly with her two best friends. Her Caramel eyes sparkled, and her honey-streaked blonde hair shone in the sunlight streaming in through the window. She looked regal and pleasant in her new black robes with red trim. Her red and gold silk tie blended nicely next to the fancy inscriptions over the right breast of her robes: 'Head Girl.'  
  
Ron sat next to her grinning madly. He too had new robes, and was extremely excited about them. They were the first 'new' school item's he's ever had besides his wand; everything else had been a hand-me-down. Sure they didn't read, 'Head Boy' or anything, but he was proud that he sported the Gryffindor crest. Red went well with red, speaking about his hair of course. His mane was still a flaming red color, but it looked nice on him, now that he seemed a little more muscular, and a little less dorky.  
  
Harry meanwhile, just sat back and listened to the conversation, smiling peacefully. He hadn't heard or felt anything from Voldemort lately, so his heart was at peace. His hair was still tousled, but it looked nice on his mature facial features. He still wore the same circular bifocals, and still sported the same lightning bolt scar, but he had gotten more comfortable with it as he grew up. There were no new items for Harry, although his shoes shone particularly bright when the sunlight caught them just right. Simple things such as these made Harry feel calm and for once...normal.  
  
"You guys, I've been thinking about this quite a bit over the summer...I think we should be a little more calm and a little more careful this year. It's our last year here, and I want it to be our best. I...I really don't want to leave with any enemies..." Hermione stated, and then looked down, seemingly fascinated with the hem of her robes.  
  
"She's right," Harry said, looking over to Ron, who just nodded enthusiastically.  
  
"Yeah! I'm sick and tired of being bullied by people like Malfoy. Like Mum always, drown your enemies in kindness to turn them into allies!" Ron declared proudly.  
  
"Excellent! So we all agree to our new "nice-ness" pact!" Hermione said.  
  
"Yup!" said Harry.  
  
"You got it!" said Ron.  
  
"So, Hermione, Dumbledore never told you who the Head Boy is?" Harry said, trying to get another conversation going. It wasn't too hard to do with friends like his, though.  
  
"Yeah. Quite peculiar. I wonder who it could be. I'm thinking it's a Ravenclaw fellow. Seems like only one of them would have high enough marks to become Head Boy," Hermione commented. Ron smirked and rolled his eyes at Harry, who smiled a knowing smile. Hermione would always brag, but would never consciously realize it. "Oh, I'm so confused right now! I'm so happy because I'm Head Girl and I get brand new, nicer living quarters, but at the same time I'm deeply saddened because I won't be there with you boys," Hermione said, going from an enthusiastic grin to a frown.  
  
"Oh don't worry about it Hermione! We can still eat together at lunch!" Ron said, looking to Harry for conformation about the last fact. Harry nodded.  
  
"Yeah, and it's not like we won't see you around. We still have some classes together!" Harry said.  
  
"And...I can always come to you boys if there's ever anything wrong, right?"  
  
"Of course!" the two boys crowed in unison. Hermione smiled at her two friends. She was so lucky to have them...  
  
It was only a short time before Hermione, Harry, and Ron arrived at the Hogwarts train station. All three waved silently at Hagrid as he led some first years to the lake. Hermione paused to remember her first year, but Harry yanked her out of it by pulling her arm.  
  
"Come on, Hermione. Ron's got a chariot for us!" Harry said, motioning towards Ron who was holding open the door of a chariot. Hermione nodded and she and Harry bustled over to the chariot.  
  
Once inside, they began to talk more about what classes they were taking.  
  
"I'll be taking advanced arithmancy, advanced ancient runes, advanced muggle studies..."  
  
"Enough with all of the advanced classes!" Harry interjected, interrupting Hermione's sentence. Hermione blushed slightly, for she hadn't meant to brag.  
  
"Well all three of us have advanced muggle studies and advanced potions together, so that's not too bad," commented Ron, who stroked the cool leather of the seat lightly.  
  
Soon the chariot came to a slow stop, and Ron hunched down to get through the door. He had grown quite a bit taller over the summer. He held the door open as Harry and Hermione climbed out after him.  
  
Hermione looked up at the castle in front of her as she gripped Ron's arm to get out. It was simply a 'magical' sight. A cloudless sky presented exceptionally clear and bright stars, and a crescent moon hung dutifully above. The castle itself was lit up, so it almost resembled a jack-o- lantern; a dark mass with light glowing out of it here and there. Despite growing up as a witch the last 7 years, Hermione was still a muggle at heart.  
  
"Wow, it's even more beautiful this year!" Hermione exclaimed.  
  
"Yeah..."Harry said, although his gaze was fixated on a chariot of cute and giggling 7th year Ravenclaws.  
  
"Come on, guys! We want to get in early so we can say hello to everyone!" Ron said. He was a good 20 feet away, and was pointing to a line of people heading inside the castle doors. Hermione looked at Harry, giggled, and the two of them went racing after Ron, running up the stone stairs at a full sprint.  
  
Once inside the massive double doors made of oak, the trio looked around at everyone. Everyone was mixed up, talking to friends and acquaintances, asking how everyone's summers had been. Hermione immediately felt at home.  
  
"Ginny!" Hermione squealed, when she saw the back of a familiar head. The 6th year Gryffindor girl turned and ran towards Hermione, arms open for a hug. The two girls embraced warmly as Harry and Ron made their way over to Dean Thomas, whom Ginny had been chatting up a storm with.  
  
"Ginny! You look great!" Hermione commented. Ginny had definitely grown up. She was a little taller, and had started to fill out some more. Her face was blemish-free and looked angelic. Her hair was layered and framed her face delicately.  
  
"Oh, Hermione! You do to!" Ginny replied.  
  
"So was that Dean you were just talking to?" Hermione asked, peering around the girl to get a better look.  
  
"Yeah, it was. But it's not what you think!" Ginny exclaimed, waving her hands in front of her in a negative manner. Hermione raised an eyebrow and smirked.  
  
"I like Seamus, and I was just asking Dean if he had seen him," Ginny said. Hermione threw an arm around the blushing Weasley.  
  
"You know I won't tell anyone," Hermione whispered into Ginny's ear. Ginny brightened at this and hugged the brunette next to her.  
  
"Students!" A loud voice echoed through the hall. Everyone fell silent and turned their gaze towards the top of the marble staircase. Albus Dumbledore stood there, looking gallant as ever, his long grey beard flowing down to his waist. He was flanked by Minerva McGonagall and Pomona Sprout on his right, while Severus Snape and Filius Flitwick stood on his left.  
  
"Please be seated at your house tables, so we may begin the sorting!" Dumbledore said. The students began talking at once as they made their way through another set of oak double doors to sit at their respective tables.  
  
From across the room and through all the people, Hermione could see Draco Malfoy. He looked...different. A new kind of aura surrounded him and Hermione could feel the radiation of the change throughout the room. He was currently sneering at some third year Hufflepuff girls who ran off to their tables, scared by the upperclassmen. Draco just smirked and seated himself between Crabbe and Goyle. Pansy Parkinson sat across from him, being really flirtatious.  
  
'Same old Pansy,' Hermione thought to herself. As much as she despised the overly flirtatious (some might call her a s but Hermione would never say or think such a thing!) Slytherin, she knew she had to be nice.  
  
Once more, the doors burst open. Everyone's attention snapped to Hagrid as the half-giant led two rows of children towards the front of the room, where McGonagall stood looking prominent and stern. The sorting hat sat fidgeting on a wooden steal to her right.  
  
"I shall call your names one by one so that you may be sorted. Let's begin!"  
  
As the transfiguration professor read off the names, the children were sorted. Gryffindor burst into loud applause, with hooting and hollering when a first year was sorted in. The Slytherin house hooted as well when they got their own first years. Meanwhile, the Ravenclaws applauded proudly, trying not to make spectacles of themselves, while the Hufflepuff girls squealed and the boys stomped their feet.  
  
Hermione laughed and remembered when she herself got sorted into Gryffindor. It was one of the proudest moments of her life.  
  
Soon the new Gryffindor boys and girls seated themselves, and immediately the upperclassmen started talking with them, warning them about their teachers, and explaining quidditch to the muggle-borns.  
  
"Now, I'd like to present, our new Head Boy and Head Girl!" Dumbledore declared loudly, quieting the hall once more.  
  
"Miss Hermione Granger!" He said loudly. Hermione blushed and stood, making her way quickly up the short flight of stairs to stand next to Dumbledore, while extremely loud applause resounded throughout the room. The teachers looked on at her with great admiration and pride at the student that they loved to teach. Hermione glanced back and smiled at her teachers, who smiled back (all except Snape of course). Professor Trelawney even gave her a thumbs up! Hermione giggled and turned her attention back to Dumbledore. She didn't want to miss it when he called up the Head Boy.  
  
"And Hogwarts' new Head Boy...Draco Malfoy!"  
  
Applause erupted from the Slytherin table as Draco sauntered down the walkway and up to Dumbledore. The rest of the room applauded, but only to be polite.  
  
"These two are the new Head Boy and Head Girl of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! They will work together to help promote inter- house relations, as well as plan some exciting events for us all! So let's have another round of applause for our new Heads!" Dumbledore said, backing away as applause drowned out all other noise. Hermione waved impishly while Draco smirked and looked around.  
  
"Dinner will now be served!" Dumbledore said. With those words, plates upon plates of delicious food appeared in front of the hungry travelers. The plates were met with 'ooh's' and 'ahh's.' The upperclassmen immediately dug in while the first years stared dumbfounded at the food that had just appeared.  
  
"They didn't serve this last year!" Ron exclaimed, his mouth full of turkey.  
  
"I know! Isn't it good?" Ginny replied, slicing up a piece of cake and handing it to a blonde first year next to her. Everyone around them nodded and proceeded to stuff themselves.  
  
10 minutes later  
  
Ron sat back and patted his full stomach.  
  
"I haven't eaten that good since...I can't remember!" he exclaimed.  
  
"That was so much better than the slop the Dursley's served me!" Harry said, shuddering at the thought of his pig-like cousin and uncle.  
  
"Oh my. I thought my cherry cobbler was good, but that! That was excellent! I'll be sure to deliver an extra big pile of clothes for the house elves to wear come winter time!" Hermione said. Even over the summer she hadn't forgotten about her dedication to S.P.E.W.  
  
"I'm dying to see your new room, Hermione!" Ginny said, leaning over the table at her.  
  
"So am I! Come on boys, let's go check it out!" Hermione giggled, standing up and briskly walking towards the entrance. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were close on her heels.  
  
Hermione navigated the crew up 4 flights of stairs, through a series of corridors, finally ending up on a painting of a boy and a girl. It was obvious they were the first Head Boy and Girl. The boy was a tall lanky brunette that sported the crest of Ravenclaw while the girl was a tiny blonde from Hufflepuff. They smiled down at the group in front of them, and chorused together: "Password?"  
  
Hermione leaned in and whispered the password to the painting. The two smiled and the painting swung open. Hermione motioned for the others to follow as she stepped through the circular hole in the wall. Once inside, Hermione couldn't believe her eyes.  
  
The room was lavishly decorated. The walls were striped with crimson red and forest green, giving it almost a Christmas-y look. Most of the walls were lined with oak bookshelves that reached up to touch the ceiling. A cozy fire crackled in a large stone fireplace. Above the fireplace were large black iron initials; an S for Slytherin, and to its right, a G for Gryffindor. Two black couches sat opposite each other. A green blanket draped over the edge of one of the couches, with a Silver pillow with a green S on it resting on its edges. Meanwhile a golden colored blanket was folded on one of the seat cushions; a red pillow with a gold S on lay on top. A small pine work table with a few chairs on each side was off to the side.  
  
"It's...wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed, looking around.  
  
"Wow, this couch is so soft. It's much softer than the tartan-colored one we have in the Gryffindor common room," said Ron, who was currently lying on the black couch. Ginny sat next to him, pushing his feet out of the way. She gasped, and brushed the couch with her fingertips.  
  
"Oh, it's suede! It's sooooo luxuriously soft, Hermione!" Ginny cooed. Hermione was busy looking at the books. All were titles she hadn't ever seen in the library. She jumped back when she felt a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Let's go check out your room, Hermione," Harry suggested softly. Hermione nodded, picked out a few large leather-bound books, and walked over to the door with a wrought-iron G on it. She gulped and turned the brass handle. She peered around the corner and walked in, once again amazed at her surroundings.  
  
Directly in front of her was a large four poster bed with gauzy white curtains surrounding it. A large chest of drawers was to her left, which sat next to a 7 foot tall, 4 foot wide mirror with golden trim. To her right, were her trunk and an oak desk with a leather swiveling desk chair. Ron immediately sat down in it and proceeded to spin to his hearts content. Hermione cautiously approached the bed. She drew aside the curtains, and looked down at the bedspread. A crimson red comforter was topped by golden pillows. She folded the sheets back and discovered them to be a soft material. The cottony sheets reminded her of brand new t-shirts, and how they were always extremely soft- that is, until the third or fourth wash, when they became scratchy and dull. Hopefully this would not be the case.  
  
"Nice digs, Hermione!" Ron commented from the black leather desk chair.  
  
"It's so pretty and big!" Ginny exclaimed, walking over to the life-size mirror.  
  
Harry sat down at the edge of the bed.  
  
"I wouldn't mind sleeping here every night!" he said, sighing happily. Hermione went over and opened a stain glass window. She could see the lake glistening in the moonlight below.  
  
"I love it!" Hermione decided, turning back to her friends.  
  
"Yeah, it's really great! Invite me up here for a sleepover some night!" Ginny said, winking.  
  
"Well, we should get going back to our own rooms. We still need to unpack and all..." Harry explained.  
  
"Oh, right," Hermione said. One by one, she hugged her friends goodnight, and watched them step out of the hole in the wall, the painting closing soundly behind them. She walked back to the center of the room, her hand smoothing over the arm of the suede couch. Falling backwards, she plopped herself down and lay on her 'G' pillow. She kicked her feet idly and closed her eyes.  
  
'This is heaven...' Hermione thought serenely.  
  
"Hmph. I thought they'd never leave," came a masculine voice from the corner of the room. Hermione bolted up and saw Draco leaning in the doorway, his black and silver themed room behind him. He was clad only in some black boxers, an undershirt, and some white socks. He held a menacing sneer on his face as he stared at the girl across from him.  
  
'So much for heaven...'

* * *

**Haha, i really like that chapter, so if you don't well.....then you're a poo-head, lol jk. I love you all, and if you love me and want me to write more, then please review and tell me what you thought! Thanks!  
love,  
English-Foxlette**


	3. Bathroom Squabbles and Nightmares

**Hehehe, i guess i'm not the only one that finds the thought of Draco in socks, boxers, and tank funny. Well annnnnnyways. Here's the next installment! Thanks for reviews guys! And thanks to Ashley for being my beta and supplying me with a few ideas to fill the gaps. Okies, here it is! Love you guys, hope you like it!**  
  
**Chapter 2**  
  
**[Previously]** 'This is heaven...' Hermione thought serenely.  
  
"Hmph. I thought they'd never leave," came a masculine voice from the corner of the room. Hermione bolted up and saw Draco leaning in the doorway, his black and silver themed room behind him. He was clad only in some black boxers, an undershirt, and some white socks. He held a menacing sneer on his face as he stared at the girl across from him.  
  
'So much for heaven...'  
  
**[End Previous Scene]**  
  
Hermione almost laughed at the sight. Big, tough bully, Draco Malfoy, in ankle high white socks. He would have looked intimidating had it not been for the socks. Hermione couldn't understand why, but they were extremely humorous.  
  
"Nice socks, Malfoy," Hermione giggled, as she kicked her legs off the couch and rose up to standing height. Draco smirked and padded closer to her. "I know you like 'em," Draco said, dragging a finger lightly under her chin, before sauntering off to the door with a cast-iron 'B' on it. Hermione snapped back to life.  
  
"Oh no you don't! I need to shower! I reek!" Hermione cried, dashing towards the bathroom door.  
  
"I know you do, Mudblood, but I need to take a piss!" Draco replied, holding Hermione off with one arm.  
  
"Come on! You've had all night to pee!" Hermione said, now in a pleading voice.  
  
"And you've had all night to shower! You don't see me complaining!" Draco said, turning the brass handle. Hermione mustered up her strength and pushed past Draco's arm. The Slytherin noticed this and made a lunge for the door. The two vied for space, but the door frame was only so wide. Hermione sighed in defeat, they were stuck in the door.  
  
"Move, Granger!"  
  
"You move!"  
  
"You!"  
  
"You!" Hermione yelled into Draco's ear. Then she shrugged her left shoulder and the two students spilled out onto a white tile floor.  
  
"Ow..." Hermione said, rubbing her bum in pain. She pushed herself off the ground just as Draco was.  
  
"Nice!" Draco muttered, looking around the room.  
  
The bathroom was done in all white. The walls were white, and on each side of the door, was an ivory sink with a few white-rimmed mirrored cabinets above them. In the right corner of the room, there was some frosted glass sheltering a toilet and urinal. Directly across from it, more frosted glass hid a shower. Fluffy white towels hung limply on staggered towel racks. The room looked very...sterile.  
  
"I wonder if my shampoo and everything is in here," Draco wondered aloud, peering around the frosted glass wall and into the shower.  
  
"Hmph, they better not have damaged any of my cologne bottles or anything," Draco said, frowning at the thought of house elves touching his belongings.  
  
Hermione was just in awe. She walked around the room in a daze. It was eerie with all the white, but at the same time a bit modern. She fingered the towels. They were warm and soft. They must have been Egyptian cotton.  
  
"Agh!" Draco shouted, slamming one of the mirrored cabinet doors shut. He shuddered and walked over to the other sink, left of the door. He breathed out a sigh of relief at opening his own. Meanwhile, Hermione was a bit curious. She opened what she had guessed was her cabinet, and giggled when she saw the brightly colored boxes of pads and tampons.  
  
'Poor, poor kid. He must be scarred for life,' Hermione thought sarcastically.  
  
"Alright, we've looked around. Now...OUT!" Draco demanded, tearing the Gryffindor out of her thoughts. She saw Draco standing by the toilet, looking at her angrily.  
  
"You know what? I'm deciding to be nice, so go ahead, you get to go first," Hermione said, throwing her hands in the air. Draco looked a little surprised. He had expected that he would've had to fight her off tooth and nail. But then again, the girl did seem a little...different. But Draco just shrugged inwardly after Hermione closed the door.  
  
'She's different, but I'll find out how or why later,' Draco thought inwardly as he lowered his boxers, so that they sat around his socks while he did his business.  
  
Outside the room, Hermione was taking a few deep breaths. Living and sharing a bathroom with Draco Malfoy wasn't going to be easy. But then again, she didn't expect it to be. To bide her time, she just looked at the spines of the books, seeing if anything caught her interest. A few did, but she vowed that she'd read them later. She had taken enough into her room to occupy her for the week.  
  
As she fingered 'Hogwarts, a History' delicately, Draco burst through the door, looking quite relieved. Hermione rolled her eyes and pushed past him.  
  
Hermione padded over to the shower stall, having removed her shoes and socks much earlier that night. She undid her robe, and it felt softly to the ground. A few moments later, she was void of clothing, and she stepped into the shower. She manipulated the handles, and stood out of the spray, waiting for it to heat up. Even though she knew the water was magically heated, it was another muggle tendency of hers.  
  
Deciding that the current temperature was good enough, she stepped into the spary. Warm water cascaded down her body as she just stood there, wetting her hair. She picked up a bottle of shampoo blindly, and squeezed a copious amount into her hand. She ran it through the tips of her hair and massaged her scalp, noticing that the room started to smell like apples and sage. Then she stopped in mid-scrub. This wasn't her shampoo...  
  
She looked down at the bottle she had grabbed, and it definitely wasn't hers. She read the label and groaned. It was Draco's! It smelled rather nice, and she wasn't about to wash shampoo her hair again. She didn't want to strip her hair of any natural oils. She shrugged and put her hair under the water. Then she grabbed her own plain-scented conditioner and smoothed it in. Hermione paused when she held the sudsy soap bar in her hand. The water felt so good against her flesh. She had been rather tense that day, with all the moving and stress and all that good stuff. But now, she wasn't expected to do anything but relax under the showerhead.  
  
10 minutes later, after a thorough scrubbing and hair brushing, Hermione emerged from the shower stall. A soft white towel wrapped around her torso and protected her skin from the cold sprinkles of water dripping from the tips of her hair. She kicked aside her dirty clothes and looked in the mirror. She turned, from left to right, being very meticulous about her examination. Once satisfied, she leaned back and little and put on some moisturizer.  
  
'3 ½ months, and not a blemish to be seen,' Hermione congratulated herself in her head as she smoothed the creamy white liquid into her face.  
  
Hermione turned around and looked down at her clothes.  
  
'Oh no...' she thought. She hadn't brought a change of clothes and she'd be damned if she wore the same pair of underwear again.  
  
'Maybe I could make a run for it? What if Malfoy is out there? Then again, at this point I don't care. He'll just have to get used to it,' Hermione thought stubbornly. She bent down and picked up her clothes, and slowly turned the door knob. She opened it just a crack, and listened. Silence. Thinking the coast was clear, she bolted out of the bathroom and ran by a very shocked and surprised Malfoy, who had been innocently reading a book. She lunged inside her room and slammed the door behind her, making sure to lock it.  
  
Hermione giggled madly as she put on clean underwear and her red Gryffindor pajamas. She opened the door and buttoned the last button as she went out to talk to Draco.  
  
Draco was sprawled out on the Slytherin couch, a book settled on his stomach, hands behind his head, and the usual smirk playing across his features. Hermione seated herself and stared at him. She could see he was dying to say something, so she'd wait to find out what.  
  
"So I'm not getting a strip show?" he asked coolly. Hermione snorted and picked up a Gryffindor pillow and chucked it at him. He dodged it easily and continued to smirk at her.  
  
"Not tonight," she said, her voice calm and soothing.  
  
"Maybe tomorrow night then," Draco murmured, trying his best to suppress a yawn, but failing terribly. Hermione shook her head and yawned herself.  
  
Suddenly his nostrils flared, his eyes grew wider, and he grabbed her by the wrist.  
  
"What is that smell?" He demanded, leaning in to smell her.  
  
"You've been using my shampoo?!" he cried, seemingly outraged.  
  
"It was an accident! I didn't really see which bottle I grabbed until I noticed it didn't smell like mine!" she cried, trying her best to defend herself.  
  
"Great, just great. I'll just have to get a new bottle, now that my current one has mudblood germs on it," Draco said dramatically, letting go of her wrist.  
  
"Oh shut up, Malfoy. I'm leaving. I'm tired, I need sleep, and I really don't feel like dealing with you right now," Hermione said angrily, rising up and slamming the door behind her. Draco shook his head and followed suit, but closed his door much softer.

* * *

Once inside the cozy confines of her room, Hermione slid her slender legs under the cool red sheets of her bed, and rested her head on a gold pillow.  
  
"So soft," Hermione whispered, rubbing her cheek against the pillow. She could just feel the anger flowing out of her and she felt a lot calmer. She then turned and stretched out on her back. Hermione closed her eyes and replayed the days' events. The train ride...the chariot...the banquet...Draco in socks...Hermione had her eyes open by the end of it, and she started blankly at the ceiling. The wind whistled outside her stained glass window. The room was pitch-black with the exception of the moonlight shining through here and there.  
  
Hermione tossed and turned for well over an hour, just listening to the sheets crumpling and the wind blowing. Then she heard another sound. In the faint light, Hermione strained to see the doorknob turning slowly. She gripped the sheets and her finger turned white. Her eyes were the size of saucers. The door opened and a black figure loomed in the darkness. Hermione groped over and grabbed her wand.  
  
"Lumos!" She shouted. The tip of the wand burst into a white tip of light, illuminating the figure. A hand shot up to shield delicate silver eyes. Hermione looked a little harder and leaned forward. She could make out black boxers, the hem of a white shirt, and pasty white legs.  
  
"Malfoy! You trying to scare the living daylights out of me?!" Hermione questioned loudly, reaching far out of her bed and switching on the lights. The ceiling fan brightened immediately and she saw Draco standing there, bags under his eyes and a silver pillow under his left arm. Hermione raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I had a nightmare," Draco said, still not moving from his spot in the arch of the doorway.  
  
"Well...what do you want me to do about it?" Hermione asked. She wasn't about to play mother duck to this...fledgling. Draco didn't reply, but stared at her sadly and expectantly.  
  
There was just something about the look on his face. He looked innocent and scared; two words Hermione would never have used to describe him. She disliked him greatly, but something inside her just cracked.  
  
"Well sit down, and let's talk about it," she found her voice saying. Draco's face brightened and he trodded over, sitting at the edge of the bed, his pillow by his side.  
  
"So? What happened?" Hermione said, leaning on her knees, staring at the young man before her.  
  
"I dreamt that Potter's body was being overtaken by the Dark Lord under the Imperius Curse, and that he was torturing you. I tried to stop him but he used the Cruciatus curse. Even in my dream I could feel the pain of it...it was horrible," Draco said, shuddering.  
  
Hermione was a little taken aback that he was trying to save her, even if it was just in a dream. She longed to hug him, but was afraid of the consequences. He was a great deal bigger and stronger than she was. Instead she'd take the book worm approach.  
  
"Well first of all, just remember, it was just a dream. It wasn't real. Even if it feels like your tendons are being plucked and severed, it's just a dream!" Hermione said. Draco opened his mouth, probably to tell her how real it felt, but she cut him off.  
  
"Plus you got to analyze it a bit. A) You'd never stop anyone from torturing me and, B) We would know if Harry was taken over by Him. So take a few deep breathes and think happy thoughts," Hermione suggested.  
  
"Happy thoughts? Like what?"  
  
"I don't know...hmm...Think about beating Harry to the snitch and winning the game and the House Cup," Hermione said. Draco grinned. Hermione felt like adding 'not that that will ever happen,' but she didn't want to be too rude.  
  
"Alright. Thanks, Granger. Night," Draco said abruptly, getting up and exiting the room.  
  
Hermione watched him leave.  
  
'So he is normal. He has fears and nightmares just like me. But I wonder why he was dreaming about saving me? He'd never really do anything like that. Oh well. It was just a dream...' Hermione thought as she switched off the light.  
  
Slowly, she drifted off into her own realm of nightmares and dreams.  
  
**[Dream Sequence]**  
  
Hermione was up against the wall, a crumpled figure below her. She could feel hot tears running down her cheeks and her heart ached terribly. She looked up and saw her best friend Harry standing above the figure mumbling what could only have been the Cruciatus Curse. She opened her mouth to scream, but she remained silent.  
  
'Stop. Please stop, please don't hurt him..I love him! And I never got to tell him!' she thought, crying harder than ever as one pale hand gripped the ground painfully hard.  
  
**[End Dream Sequence]**  
  
Hermione bolted upright, a tear falling gently down her cheek, cold sweat beading on her forehead. She hunched forward and brushed away the perspiration.  
  
She turned her head and glanced at a small grandfather clock next to her nightstand. The clock read 5:57AM. Her alarm was about to go off anyways, so she turned it off. She swung her legs out of the covers and touched the bare wood floor with her feet. She shivered slightly as sweat ran down the arch of her spine.  
  
'What_ was_ that?' She thought.

* * *

**Fishy, ain't it? They're having similar dreams and ::gasp:: being CIVIL to each other?! lol okies hope you liked it. review if you did! Also tell me what you think will happen (its fun to read those). okies off to go read and write some more. Lots of love**

**English-Foxlette  
  
PS- I KNOW you're loving the length! XD**


	4. Boys and Essays

**

* * *

Wow, haven't posted in a while. Sorry guys. It was my birthday yesterday, so of course i had to party hardy, lol, plus i had sports a lot. So I'm sorry. Hope you can all forgive me! If you forgive me enough to read this, i think you'll find some parts pretty funny, and remember, viva DMHG! lol, read on and review!  
**  
**Chapter 3  
  
_[Previously]_  
**  
Hermione bolted upright, a tear falling gently down her cheek, cold sweat beading on her forehead. She hunched forward and brushed away the perspiration.  
  
She turned her head and glanced at a small grandfather clock next to her nightstand. The clock read 5:57AM. Her alarm was about to go off anyways, so she turned it off. She swung her legs out of the covers and touched the bare wood floor with her feet. She shivered slightly as sweat ran down the arch of her spine.  
  
'What was that?' She thought.  
  
_**[End]**_  
  
Hermione scrubbed at her eyes with her hands and stood up. She felt a little sick and disturbed from the dream. She slowly padded out of the room and into the common room. On the couch was Draco, asleep on his side, his head resting on his silver pillow. For some reason she wanted to wake him up and tell him about her dream, but she figured it was brought on by Draco's own nightmare.   
  
She slowly made her way over to him, and sat down next to him on the couch, setting her clothes on the coffee table. He stirred at the weight next to him, but didn't wake up. Hermione shook him gently, and he began to wake up. He opened up his eyes and yawned.  
  
"Morning,"  
  
"Mmm...what time is it?"  
  
"A little after 6," Hermione answered softly. Draco groaned and slowly sat up. Hermione looked at him. He badly needed to shave, and his eyes had considerable bags under his eyes.  
  
"What're you looking at mudblood?" Draco muttered irritably. Hermione stood up, cold anger in her eyes.  
  
"I was trying to be nice, but you know what? I don't see the point. I'll forever be just 'mudblood' to you. And you know else? LADIES FIRST!" Hermione yelled, slamming the bathroom door.  
  
Hermione swiftly scrubbed her teeth and face, changed quickly, and before Draco knew what hit him, she brushed past him and out of the portrait hole.  
  
"Wonder what crawled up her ass and died?" Draco wondered aloud, closing the bathroom door. He meandered over towards the urinal and loosened his boxers. He idly looked around, and his eyes fell upon the contents of the trash can.  
  
"Aghhhhh!" he yelled, backing away from the urinal, nearly tripping on his boxers. He ran over to the sink and scrubbed his face, rubbing his eyes extra hard.  
  
"Stupid mudblood, trying to disgust me with her stupid 'feminine hygiene products'!" Draco muttered angrily.  
  
He stalked back to his room and put on his robes, then made his way down to the great hall.  
  
Meanwhile, Hermione was already seated across from Harry and Ron, and to her right sat Ginny.  
  
"So how was your first night?" Harry asked, trying to make conversation with the tense brunette across from him.  
  
"That ferret didn't try anything did he? Cus if he did..." Ron threatened, bitterly stuffing a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.  
  
"As a matter of fact, he didn't. But that's not to say he wasn't being the usual ass that he always is," Hermione said through gritted teeth.  
  
"No offense, Hermione, but didn't we agree to try to be nice?"  
  
"Frankly, I don't give a damn. He's a completely narcissistic jerk who only calls me derogatory names. I don't see why I should be nice to him if he won't be nice back!"  
  
Meanwhile, everyone in a 10 foot radius was now nodding their heads in agreement.  
  
"Well, Hermione, how bout after this week's classes, we go to Hogsmeade. We can shop and stuff. Just hang out. Get your mind off him," Ginny said, jerking her thumb in the general direction of the Slytherin table.  
  
"That sounds nice," Hermione said, finally relaxing enough to crack a weak smile.  
  
"Come on, Hermione, we should go. Potions class starts in 15 minutes," Harry said, as he and Ron rose from the bench.  
  
"Alright. I'll talk to you later, Ginny," Hermione said as she grabbed her books and walked out of the Great Hall.

* * *

The Golden Trio, as they were called, were the first to arrive outside the door to Potions. Hermione tried to pry open the door, but apparently, Snape was still enjoying breakfast. While they waited, Hermione told Harry and Ron all about how much it sucked to share the same bathroom with Draco.  
  
"Remember how he'd gel his hair in our first two years? I'm guessing he used a pound of gel each day," Hermione said, eliciting a chuckle from the boys. Suddenly they heard steps approaching.  
  
Down the torch-lit corridor walked Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. They stopped a few feet in front of the Hermione and the boys.  
  
"Hanging out with your boyfriends, Granger?"  
  
"Hanging out with yours, Malfoy?"  
  
"Touche, Granger," Malfoy muttered as he brushed past them and stalked into a corner across from them.  
  
"Jerk," Hermione hissed. Ron and Harry could feel that something wasn't quite right, and judging by the tension in the air, they really didn't want to know. They exchanged knowing glances, and kept quiet.  
  
More footsteps sounded down the hall as Snape strode up and led the class inside.  
  
"Open your books to page three ninety four," he said curtly addressing the class which bustled in to seat themselves.  
Snape continued to cover the dangers posed by such things as the Chimera and Lethifold. Most of the students only payed a small amount of attention. Others trained themselves to sleep with their eyes open. Hermione just stared blankly at Snape, her eye twitching occasionally.  
  
Some say that she tries not to blink so she can take in as much information as possible, but the truth, is that Hermione was just ticked off..._extremely_ ticked off. Even she herself wasn't quite sure why. Partially Draco Malfoy, part hormones, part...anger. Hermione sighed and her face relaxed. She had discovered long ago that she bottled up her serious emotions. So 29 days out of a normal month she was chipper and happy, but for one day she would bawl or threaten everyone in sight.  
  
Apparently, she was in a threatening mood. Fellow peers backed off, and even Snape didn't call on her for answers.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity of white knuckles about to snap the rim of the desk off, class was dismissed.  
  
Hermione stalked out of the room. She had advanced arithmancy next, and she really wasn't looking forward to sitting around being lectured by Professor Vector. Not only that, but a few certain Slytherin cads were in her class and she was definitely not going to take it lightly if Crabbe burped on her from behind AGAIN.  
  
Hermione rubbed her stomach and decided maybe a little food would make her feel better, so she made a b-line for the kitchens to snag a muffin.

* * *

She burst through the kitchen doors, startling a few raggedly dressed house elves. A tiny female padded over to her.  
  
"Can me be of service missus?" the tiny elf squeaked.  
  
"Banana nut muffin...Please," Hermione said, trying not to be too irritable, especially towards the creatures she (for the past few years) had been trying desperately to help. The elf nodded and ran off.  
  
Another house elf walked by with a tray full of what appeared to be earl gray tea. She reached down and snagged a white ceramic mug and brought it up to her nose. The strong, hot steam billowed up into her nostrils. The hot earthy smell relaxed her, and she was only brought back to reality when the little female house elf pulled on her robes.  
  
"Your muffin, missus," she squeaked, handing the muffin up to Hermione. Hermione took it and nodded in thanks. She glanced at a large hourglass on top of a table and sighed. She only had a few minutes to get to advanced arithmancy. Taking a long sip of tea, she set it on a counter and ran out of the kitchens.  
  
Hermione arrived just in time, as the professor looked about to start the class. Hermione opened up 'Numerology and Grammatica,' and looked up at Professor Vector.  
  
"Cut it close there, Miss Granger," Professor Vector said, looking down on her, her arms folded on her chest. She would have looked intimidating if a small smile was not playing across her lips.  
  
"Sorry. Got a case of the munchies," Hermione explained as she flipped to page two hundred and twelve. The professor nodded and addressed the class.  
  
"Today class, you will be paired up with a partner from another house, and together you will write an essay on the magical properties of the number seven, and the woman who discovered those properties,"  
  
She paused to listen to the groans of the class.  
  
"Come now, do you really expect to improve house relations by pairing up with people from your own house? Oh that reminds me, the pairs will consist of a male, and a female. Now, let's begin!"  
  
Hermione sat gaping in her seat. The essay would have been easy, but why oh why did it have to be a group essay? She knew she couldn't depend on anyone else to produce the quality of work she expected...except if he just happened to be that new Ravenclaw boy.   
  
His name was Eric, and he had short dark brown hair, olive skin, and striking blue eyes. He sat at the front of the class, and didn't talk much. But when he did speak, his voice sounded soft and sweet, like an angel.  
  
'He looks like a model,' Hermione thought, practically drooling.  
  
"Blaise and Parvati, Eric and..." Professor Vector called out.  
  
'Eric and Hermione! Eric and Hermione! Eric and Hermione!' Hermione thought as she crossed her fingers and repeated her mantra in her head.  
  
"Eric and Lavender!" the teacher decided. Hermione cursed Lavender under her breath. She always had the best luck and was always paired with the cute and smart boys in their many classes together. It's not like she needed the luck anyways. Her skin was flawless and dewey, and her hair looked and felt like spun gold. (Hermione had had the opportunity to help braid it when Parvati was out with a cold.)  
  
"Hermione and...Draco!" Professor called out again.  
  
Hermione felt like slamming her head into the desk. Why her? Why him? WHY?!  
  
Draco didn't seem too appeased either. He was trying to look calm, but anyone could tell he was holding in his disgust.  
  
"Alright. Now, will everyone please sit with their partners. I'll be giving you the whole class time to do research. Some research books are on my desk, but you might want to plan out the essay before you do the research," Professor Vector suggested as she sat down at her desk and started reading.  
  
Draco sat down next to Hermione. Neither made eye contact as Hermione brought out a scroll of parchment from her book bag.  
  
"Well I suppose we should get down to it then. Right, I'll chart out how we should do the essay, and you research Bridget Wenlock," Hermione said, as she dipped her quill in her inkpot.  
  
"Wait, wait, wait. Why am I doing the dirty work? How about you do the research and I'll chart out the essay," Draco said condescendingly.  
  
"I don't know about you, but I actually want to get a good grade on this assignment," Hermione said bitterly.  
  
"And what's that supposed to mean? Are you calling me dumb, mudblood?" Draco said, his voice raising as he stood up. Hermione stood up as well. He was still taller.  
  
"What if I am?" Hermione countered.  
  
"Enough!" Professor Vector's voice rang out in the classroom. All eyes that had been watching the skirmish develop turned towards the professor.  
  
"Miss Granger! Mister Malfoy! Come here!" Vector demanded. The two Heads made their way up to Professor Vector's desk.  
  
"Now listen close. I put you two together because you both are very intelligent people. I was looking forward to reading an essay from my two brightest students. Not only that, but you two are the Heads of the school! What kind of example are you setting, fighting over an arithmancy essay! Now then. Play nice, or I'll be forced to put some extra strict guidelines on you two...So get back to work!" The professor hissed her lecture.   
  
Hermione and Draco skulked back towards their seats.  
  
"Alright, let's try this again...How about we do this together, that way we can both make sure the essay gets done right!"  
  
"Fine," Draco agreed begrudgingly.   
  
The two worked the rest of the class period together, getting in small squabbles from time to time, but a harsh look from Professor Vector shut them up right quick.

* * *

Hermione plopped down on the Gryffindor bench in the Great Hall.  
  
"I'm so...exhausted," Hermione said, for lack of a better word.  
  
"Why? Were all your advanced classes a little too hard for our genius?" Ginny said, almost sounding like she was trying to egg her friend on.  
  
"You try working with Draco Malfoy. He's incorrigible!" Hermione sated bitterly.  
  
"What'd he do now?" Harry asked as he sat himself across from Hermione, Ron following suit to his left.  
  
"He thinks he's so good; but he's not! And of course Professor Vector has us doing an essay together! I told him to do some research while I plan out the essay itself, but no! That's too hard for our poor little Drakie-pooh!" Hermione mocked.  
  
"Well of course he thinks he's better. He's a Malfoy!" Ron said, picking up a cornbread muffin and examining it before taking a bite out of it.  
  
"Bah, he could choose to be nicer. It's not like he has to be a jerk!" Hermione said as she too picked up a cornbread muffin and bit into it. Hermione couldn't help but laugh at herself.  
  
'Muffins. The other, other yellow bread. Also known as my new food staple,' she thought sarcastically.  
  
"Don't forget about our Hogsmeade trip this weekend, Hermione," Ginny said, changing the subject.  
  
"How could I forget with you reminding me every meal time," Hermione said, smiling.  
  
Pretty soon laughter rang out from the Gryffindor table as Hermione sank back into one of her normal moods. Talking with friends had always eased her mind, not to mention all the food. If she wasn't careful, she'd gain a few unnecessary pounds, and she definitely didn't want to leave Hogwarts as a pudgy know-it-all. Hermione shuddered at the thought.

* * *

The day went on as normal as it had gone all seven years they had attended Hogwarts. After classes had ended, Hermione went out and watched Harry and Ron fly about, practicing quidditch on their brooms. She sat below them, on the cool, manicured grass and watched as her friends flew about, tossing a quaffle back and forth, looking like moving black dots against a clear blue sky.  
  
She sat below them for well over an hour, and had started to become bored.  
  
"I'm heading in boys! I'll see you at dinner!" Hermione called up to her friends, rising from the grass. She looked down and frowned at the large body print she had made. But she shook her head of those thoughts. She was -not- fat!  
  
"Alright!" She could hear the boys yell in unison. She picked up her school bag and walked towards the tall stone towers and buildings ahead of her.  
  
Once inside the entrance hall, she just made her way towards Gryffindor Tower. She looked around and smiled fondly at her surroundings. Hermione was going to miss this place when she graduated. Hufflepuff boys and girls flirted with each other at the foot of the grand staircase, while a small gathering of first year Ravenclaw boys stood huddle together, comparing cards they had gotten from chocolate frog boxes. Hermione laughed; collecting wizard cards was like a cult, it seemed.  
  
Hermione was too busy people watching as she walked, she walked straight into the back of a tall, lanky boy. Hermione dropped the book she was carrying, (her arithmancy book to be exact) and the boy managed to stumble over them.  
  
"I'm terribly sorry!" Hermione sputtered, as she bent down to pick up her things. Right when she reached for her book, their hands met. It was like all of the corny movies and romance novels she had read. She straightened, as did he. Hermione looked into the face of the boy holding her book. It was Eric, the Ravenclaw in her advanced arithmancy class!  
  
"I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going!" Hermione explained as she took the book from his out held hand.  
  
"It's quite alright. I was walking a little too slowly anyways," he said, his blue eyes twinkling. He brushed his hair back with his fingers and smiled.  
  
"What's this? Cheating on Potty and Weasel are you Mudblood?" Draco cut in. Hermione spun around to look at him.  
  
"Would you just SHUT UP you stupid little prat! I don't have a boyfriend! Ron, Harry, and I are just friends!" Hermione yelled angrily.  
  
"Umm. I have to go Hermione, I'll see you and your friend later," Eric said, as he retreated towards some other 7th year Ravenclaw boys.  
  
"We're not friends!" Hermione and Draco yelled in unison. They looked at each other and glared.  
  
"So, have you done any research yet, Malfoy?" Hermione asked.  
  
"As a matter of fact, I haven't. What about you? Have you done any work?" Draco quipped, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Well...erm...no," Hermione said, admitting that she hadn't even cracked open a book since her advanced charms class. Potions, advanced arithmancy and advanced charms all in one day had made her weary of books, at least for the time being.  
  
"Then don't go about chastising me if you don't do any work yourself, you hypocritical girl!"  
  
'Deep cleansing breaths,' her mind said slowly.  
  
"Fine. Since the essay is due by Friday, we should start working,"  
  
"I suppose so," Draco said, sighing.  
  
"Good! Now let's go to the library!" Hermione said, feeling utterly cheerful at bringing his spirits down. She grabbed his hand and led him towards the library. She smiled at the touch. Eric's hand was warm, but that was it. Just warm. Draco's hand was warm and...she felt safe holding it. Of course these were all subconscious findings. If only Hermione knew...

**Hope you liked it! If you did..leave a niiiiiice lonnnnnnnng review. I have some good stuff cooked up for some later chapters, so stay tuned kids! Lots of love to everyone!  
English-Foxlette**


	5. Projects and Civility

**

* * *

This chap is a little shorter, but the content is still pretty good. Hope you guys like it! I'll try to update as soon as i can! Please review if you have any comments, suggestions, or if you liked it! Lots of love:  
English-Foxlette  
  
Chapter 4  
  
_[Previously]_**  
  
"Fine. Since the essay is due by Friday, we should start working,"  
  
"I suppose so," Draco said, sighing.  
  
"Good! Now let's go to the library!" Hermione said, feeling utterly cheerful at bringing his spirits down. She grabbed his hand and led him towards the library. She smiled at the touch. Eric's hand was warm, but that was it. Just warm. Draco's hand was warm and...she felt safe holding it. Of course these were all subconscious findings. If only Hermione knew...  
  
**_[End]_**  
  
Hermione set Draco down on a chair and sat across from him, slamming down some books she had picked out onto the table.  
  
"Alright, let's get to it!" Hermione said, picking up a huge cloth-bound book and opening it up to the index.  
  
"Who are we looking for again?" Draco said, taking a book off the top of the stack.  
  
"Bridget Wenlock," Hermione said, not looking up from her book. Draco grunted and pulled out some parchment along with a quill and some ink.  
  
Hermione had already found her supplies and was currently scribbling furiously on her parchment. Draco scanned over the pages slowly.  
  
'Bridget Wenlock was born in the early 1200's and was and is still, the best arithmancer known to the wizarding world...' Draco read, scribbling the paragraph verbatim on his scroll.  
  
On a whim, he glanced over at Hermione's parchment. It was already ¾ full of facts. His was barely ¼ done. He felt a little embarrassed that once again, she was getting ahead of him.  
  
Hermione felt eyes on her, and she looked up. Draco's eyes were currently staring at Hermione's paper, then snapped back to his own. Out of curiosity Hermione leaned forward to look at his. He only had a few facts. Hermione shook her head sadly and kept working.  
  
Together they worked for the better part of an hour, scribbling here, yawning and stretching there. Finally, Draco looked at the Grandfather clock in the corner and slammed his book shut. The abrupt noise startled Hermione, who jumped slightly in her seat.  
  
"I have to go. I have muggle studies in a few minutes. We can work on this later," Draco said, stuffing his things in his bag and getting up to leave.  
  
"Alright, see you later," Hermione said.  
  
'Hmm, he's being civil now,' she thought.  
  
'He's probably just tired. It's hard to be mean when you're tired,' her subconscious said.  
  
Hermione yawned and looked at the clock herself. It was well past three o'clock, and she hadn't seen any of her friends in a while.  
  
'Maybe I'll go pay Ginny a visit,' she thought, packing her things up and leaving the library.  
  
Hermione walked down the familiar corridors towards Gryffindor Tower. Students bustled by, occasionally nodding or waving at the Head girl.  
  
Hermione entered the 7th floor corridor and passed through the various studying areas. She stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. The woman in the portrait smiled at the young girl she had seen grow up before her very painted eyes. (AN: I'm assuming they're painted..or maybe I'm just crazy) Hermione smiled fondly back at the portrait she had seen most every day of the school year.  
  
"Password?" the Fat Lady inquired. Hermione's eyes grew wide.  
  
'Oh no! They change the passwords every year! And I don't know it!' Hermione thought frantically.  
  
"Um...I don't know," Hermione admitted in embarrassment.  
  
"Then I can't let you in. Sorry, dear," the Fat Lady responded sadly.

* * *

Hermione turned around, and made her way out of the halls. It was a sad moment when even she didn't know the password to her old common room. She passed through the study area slowly, winding around the various bookshelves. Off in a corner, she could hear something. Slowly, she tip-toed closer and peered around a bookshelf.  
  
"Ginny?" Hermione cried out, startled. The two bodies that had been pressed together, kissing madly separated immediately.  
  
"Hermione! Um, what're you doing here?" Ginny asked, a dark red blush creeping up her cheeks. Hermione looked at her young friend wearily. She turned to see the boy Ginny had been snogging trying to sneak out.  
  
"And just where are you going, Mr. Finnegan?" Hermione questioned tartly. Seamus froze in mid-step, and turned to look at Hermione.  
  
"Oh, heh, I uh...need to go to the bathroom," Seamus stuttered. Hermione smirked, she could have a little fun messing with him.  
  
"Seamus, it's ok. You're not in trouble," Hermione laughed. Then she suddenly stopped and turned serious, "Yet..."  
  
Seamus gulped.  
  
"Oh Seamus, lighten up. I'm completely fine with you two, but I'm just going to warn you, some of the prefects lurking around aren't as nice as I am," Hermione said, turning with a wink, and walking out.  
  
She could talk to Ginny at dinner about the password, and Ginny was a little 'busy' at the moment anyways. So instead, Hermione chose to wander around the school until dinner, which was less than an hour away.  
  
Draco exited his advanced muggle studies class. He sighed angrily as he dodged some crazy Hufflepuff girls who were exiting the same room at top speed.  
  
'How the hell am I supposed to make a model of a muggle living room? I'm not a bloody muggle!' Draco thought angrily as he turned a corner and –WHAM-  
  
"Agh! Second time today! I'm sorry!" he heard a voice mutter. He looked down and saw the Head girl spilled out on the floor.  
  
"Watch where you're going Granger," Draco said, helping her up.  
  
'Being civil once more?' his conscience questioned, but Draco ignored it.  
  
"Sorry," Hermione muttered, taking his hand and pulling herself up. She brushed off her robes and felt her books being shoved into her chest. Draco let go and Hermione caught them.  
  
"Thanks," Hermione said.  
  
"Yeah, whatever. Let's work on the essay after dinner tonight. I need to get it out of the way so I can work on a model. Later," Draco said over his shoulder as he stalked down the hall. Hermione quirked an eyebrow.  
  
'More civility? Maybe he's sick...' she thought.

* * *

Draco walked down the hallway, passing by the boys' lavatory. He heard a door open and close, but paid it no mind.  
  
"Oi! Draco!" a voice called from behind. Draco turned around to see Blaise Zabini run up to his side.  
  
"Isn't that muggle studies project gunna be a pain in the arse?" Blaise commented.  
  
"Yeah really. You know anything about muggle living rooms," Draco asked idly.  
  
"You're barking up the wrong tree mate, or did you forget? I'm a pureblood just like you, Malfoy," Blaise said, rather crossly.  
  
"Sorry, I was just wondering," Draco said as the two squeezed by a gaggle of Slytherin girls. One winked towards Blaise who smiled cutely.  
  
"Yeah...Look I'll catch up with you later at dinner, alright?" Blaise said, not even waiting for Draco's answer, as he sped off towards the girls they had just passed.  
  
Draco shook his head. Blaise was such a player. Even if Draco was known as the Slytherin Sex God, at least he had class. Not only that, but he was just called that because he was so damn sexy. He'd only been with a few girls, one being Pansy Parkinson, who had mellowed out the last year. He hadn't been with anyone recently, and frankly he didn't care all that much.  
  
Draco stopped walking when he saw he was outside of the library.  
  
'This project isn't going to finish itself,' he thought. 'Damn Granger, only been with her two days and already her studious habits are rubbing off on me!'  
  
Draco stepped in and picked out a few books about muggles. He set the stack of three books down and seated himself. Immediately he started flipping through the book, scanning the text here and there. He had detailed descriptions of what some muggle items were, but he had no idea how to arrange it.  
  
'This is so stupid! How am I supposed to know where to put all these things? I mean, how am I supposed to know if you can put a rubber duck on top of a television or not?' he thought angrily, closing the book and opening another one.  
  
This was one of the few times in his life that he regretted not having a picture book. All throughout his youth, he had always read books without pictures in it, on the insistence of his father, who didn't want him to grow up 'soft.'  
  
An hour later, Draco closed the last book angrily.  
  
"Arggh!" he grunted angrily, standing up and shoving his seat back under the table. He had had enough of muggles to last him for a lifetime.  
  
"Stupid muggles," he muttered under his breath as he stalked into the Great Hall. The room was about half full, as most had already finished their meals and had retired to their common rooms. Draco sent a fleeting glance towards the Gryffindor table. Apparently Hermione was one of them.  
  
Draco sat down and ate alone. All his 6th and 7th friends had already left. He quickly scarfed down a few buffalo wings and a roll, took a swig of pumpkin juice, and left.

* * *

Hermione was sitting alone in the Head common room, laying out the format of the essay when Draco burst through the portrait hole. He uncouthly threw his bags and books on the floor and flung himself on the couch.  
  
"Took you long enough," Hermione said, staring at his back. Draco was lying face down with his head propped up by a pillow. A muffled curse could be heard and Hermione laughed as she got up.  
  
"So what took you?" she asked as she sat on the arm of the chair. Draco rolled over slightly.  
  
"I hate muggles," he sighed. Hermione grew a little angry at the comment but decided to ignore it.  
  
"Hmph...Now, I've already set up the format for the essay so all we need to do is insert the facts and we'll be done," Hermione said. She smiled to herself. It was the first week of school, and she already had established good habits for herself. Draco grunted.  
  
"Oh come on, it'll only take a few minutes," Hermione insisted. Draco sat up and ran a hand through his hair, mussing it slightly.  
  
"Fine. The early we start, the earlier we finish, and the earlier we finish, the earlier I get to bed," Draco said.  
  
Together they pulled out their notes and edited the essay. Hermione read it over and smiled. Not bad, not bad indeed. She set the paper down and turned to see Draco retreating into his room.  
  
"I'm going to bed. Night, mudblood," Draco said, shutting his door. Hermione rolled her eyes. She hated being called that, but she had started to get used to it.  
  
She yawned and looked at the miniature magic hourglass that sat on one of the bookshelves. Judging by how little sand there was in the top portion, Hermione decided to turn in.  
  
She stacked up the papers and pushed the chairs in before she too retreated into the confines of her room. She removed her robes and put on her pajamas and laid on top of her blankets. It was warm in the room.  
  
But despite the slightly uncomfortable temperature, Hermione soon fell into a deep sleep; into a black pit of dreams and nightmares. She rolled over in her sleep, and reached out a hand to the edge of the bed.  
  
"Wait..." she whispered sadly, her fingers curling to the grip the sheets below her. Sweat once again beaded on her forehead.  
  
"Don't do it..."

**Ooh, what's she dreaming of now? Hehehe, keep reading to find out! Please review! I'll post more later!**

**English-Foxlette**


	6. Showers and Letters

**Hey guys! I tried to update this last night, but was being a poo : ( Soo....Here it is! Hope everyone likes it! Review if you do!  
  
Chapter 5  
  
[Previously]**  
  
But despite the slightly uncomfortable temperature, Hermione soon fell into a deep sleep; into a black pit of dreams and nightmares. She rolled over in her sleep, and reached out a hand to the edge of the bed.  
  
"Wait..." she whispered sadly, her fingers curling to the grip the sheets below her. Sweat once again beaded on her forehead.  
  
"Don't do it..."  
  
**[End]**  
  
Hermione woke with a start. Two days in a row, she had woken up in a cold sweat. Someone was trying to protect her, while someone was trying to hurt her. She couldn't see the faces in her dreams, but she knew it was tragic when the one protecting her got hit.  
  
Hermione hunched forward in bed, resting her elbows on her knees and scrubbing her eyes with her palms.  
  
"This has to stop," Hermione said aloud. She couldn't keep waking up like this. She was losing sleep and was filled with a constant sense of paranoia.  
  
She opened her oak door and padded down the hallway into the common room. She was surprised to see Draco sitting at the table, with a shoe box, and some construction paper, holding up a pair of tweezers. Tonight, or rather, that morning, he was clad in a pair of black cotton boxers and a shirt that said 'Slytherin's Finest' across the chest. Picking up the tweezers, he placed something gingerly inside..  
  
"Dammit!" Draco swore aloud.  
  
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, from the edge of a bookshelf. Draco's eyes flew up, wide with surprise.  
  
"What're you doing up?"  
  
"I should be asking you the same question. But I had another nightmare," Hermione said, padding over to him and taking a seat across from him, eyeing the cut open box.  
  
"Me too. Plus I had this project weighing on my mind, so since I couldn't sleep, I thought I'd start it early," Draco explained. Scraps of different colored construction paper were everywhere. One small blue crescent cutout was currently clinging tightly to the back of his forearm.  
  
"At 5:30 in the morning?" Hermione questioned. Draco shrugged.  
  
"So what's this project that has you hating muggles so much?"  
  
"I have to create a model of a muggle living room. Oh, and don't get me wrong, I just hate muggles all around. This is just another reason to hate them," Draco said. Hermione turned angry at this.  
  
"I was going to offer some suggestions, but I would rather not help an intolerant jerk such as yourself," Hermione said. She couldn't bare to have anyone talk badly about muggles. The muggle world wasn' that bad, it was just...muggles are naïve. They are meant to be treated nicely, not like a lower being.  
  
Hermione padded into the bathroom and took care of business. Afterwards, she squished some liquid soap around her palms and in between her fingers as she examined herself in the mirror.  
  
"I look like hell," Hermione whispered to herself.  
  
"Got that right. Then again, I don't look much better," Draco said, walking through the frame of the door.  
  
"Get out of here!" Hermione stuttered.  
  
"Why? It's not like you were changing or anything," Draco said nonchalantly as he walked over to his own sink. The scary thing is, Hermione was just about to.  
  
Hermione and Draco both took out their toothbrushes and began to brush. They looked at each other challengingly, and after a few minutes of scrubbing, Hermione spit hard at the sink. Draco followed suit.  
  
"Not bad, mudblood. Were you aiming or was that luck?" Draco asked, motioning towards her sink, where her green, frothy spit had landed directly in the drain.  
  
"Talent," Hermione lied as she turned the handle of the faucet. Cool liquid poured out of it and Hermione collected the water in her hands, before splashing her face a few times.  
  
She turned when she heard a rustling of cloth. Draco pulled his shirt off over his head and tossed the shirt on the floor.  
  
"What're you doing?" Hermione asked fearfully.  
  
"What's it look like? I'm going to take a shower," he said, cracking his neck. Hermione stared at his chest. The skin was toned and taught over the muscles, giving him a pretty well-defined 6-pack.  
  
"Like what you see?" Draco said, smirking as he removed one of his dirty white socks. Hermione turned away in embarrassment, and focused on brushing her hair.  
  
Draco got an evil look in his eye and removed his other sock. Quietly he crept towards her. Hermione looked at the shower stall and reached back her hand to run the brush through her mane. But quickly, Draco caught it and spun her around, Hermione dropping the wooden brush in the process.  
  
He brought her hand roughly to him, forcing her to touch the muscles of his stomach.  
  
"These muscles _weren't_ bought. These are from 6 years as Slytherin Seeker," Draco said, smirking evilly at Hermione's uncomfortable disposition.  
  
Once his grip slackened, Hermione pulled out of it and ran out of the room.  
  
Draco chuckled and removed his boxers, not even bothering to close the door that she had left open. He was proud of his body and wasn't afraid to show it off.  
  
Hermione meanwhile ran into her room and closed the door. Her heart was pounding, but why? She had only made a quick dash to her room, she hadn't run a marathon or anything like that. But it sure felt like it.  
  
'Was it from his touch?' she thought.  
  
'Naw, couldn't be. I don't like Draco like that,'  
  
'Not yet at least,'  
  
Hermione sat in silence, pondering things when a tap on the window brought her back to attention. It was now 6AM, and she wondered who –or _what_- would be tapping on her window this early.  
  
She opened the stain glass window and Fawkes flew in the room, dropping a letter on her bed before resting on the back of her chair.  
  
"Aww. Been reduced to an owl, have you Fawkes?" Hermione questioned as she picked up the official looking letter. Fawkes squawked in annoyance. Seemed like the phoenix agreed.  
  
"Dear Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy,  
  
As Head Boy and Head Girl, you have your own duties as well as your school work. Meet me after breakfast in my office so we can discuss some new activities for the year.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Albus Dumbledore," Hermione read aloud.  
  
Hermione walked over to the desk and pulled out one of the drawers, careful not to disturb Fawkes, who was eyeing her contently.  
  
She scribbled down that they would meet him after breakfast and rolled it up, tying it with a piece of string she had pulled off her comforter. Fawkes accepted it and flew out the window, leaving a single red feather on Hermione's desk.  
  
She picked it up and looked at it carefully. It was long and several shades of red were apparent. There were no spaces in the strands and it shone in the dim morning light.  
  
Hermione heard her door open and spun around. She picked up her wand and held it slightly behind her.  
  
Draco stood in the doorway, a fluffy towel around his lower body, his left hand scratching the back of his head.  
  
"Showers' all yours," he said, before walking out.  
  
"Wait!" Hermione called after him, remembering the letter. Draco turned around and smirked as he raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Yes?" he purred seductively.  
  
"We have to meet Dumbledore after breakfast in his office; we need to discuss a few fun events for this year," Hermione said, completely ignoring his tone. Draco nodded and headed back towards his room.  
  
'You looked and acted like you were trying to seduce her,' the voice in his head said.  
  
'Chill, I was just trying to mess with her head,'  
  
'Whatever. Just don't get too chummy. Remember what your father might do to you if he found you cavorting with a muggle-born,'  
  
He hated his inner voice. Well...most of the time. It always told the truth, no matter how harsh.  
  
Draco sighed, and slipped an undershirt on over his head. He pushed his arms through a white button shirt, then followed it up with some green and red argyle print boxers, which were followed by some black trousers. He left the top few buttons of his shirt undone for the hell of it. He heard the water stop as he pulled on a fresh pair of socks. He smiled faintly and continued getting dressed.  
  
Hermione stepped out of the shower and rubbed her body dry with the remaining fluffy white towel. She shook her head when thoughts of Draco's strong stomach threatened to come back to her. She was determined not to have a crush on her roommate and enemy.  
  
Hermione dressed and primped in the bathroom, then stepped out into the cool air of the common room. Once again, Draco sat in front of the chopped up shoe box, staring at it. Hermione came up to his side and bent over to get a good look at it.  
  
"Nice," she commented sarcastically of the mess before her.  
  
"Shut it, Granger,"  
  
"Whatever you say," Hermione said indifferently as she picked up a book and began to read it in front of the ever-present fire. Draco looked down at his sorry excuse for a living room. Colored paper scraps lay about here and there, looking more like the work of a 4 year old, not a 17 year old.  
  
He needed inside information. Someone who was a muggle or knew about muggle items. All of his friends were pureblood, so that cancelled them out...Draco turned around and looked at the girl before him. Hermione had her back to him. Draco winced and gritted his teeth together. This wasn't going to be easy.  
  
"Granger?" Draco said wearily.  
  
"The _name _is Hermione," she replied curtly, licking her finger and turning the page.  
  
"Hermione?" The name rolled off his tongue easily, and he gained confidence. "Can you come here a minute?" He heard her sigh and the book close. Hermione walked slowly over to him.  
  
"What?" She asked. Draco took in a deep breath.  
  
"Can you help me with my project?"  
  
"...I thought I'd never see the day when the _great _pureblood Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Sex God, ask for help from the_ lowly_ Gryffindor bookworm muggle-born," Hermione mocked.  
  
"I was trying to be nice and ask for help, but you know what? Maybe I don't need help from a precocious bitch," Draco said, faking a sad voice as he turned around.  
  
"I was just kidding," Hermione said hastily.  
  
"So, what do you need help with?"  
  
"The whole project. I have to create a model of a muggle living room, and I don't know what to do!" Draco admitted, staring at his sad attempt.  
  
"Well first of all, a muggle living room isn't much different than a witch or wizards' living room. They just have a few more items," Hermione explained calmly.  
  
"I see," Draco said.  
  
"Since you can't possibly expect to get a good grade with -this- piece of garbage, how bout you get some miniature furniture pieces. I think I saw a small antique shop in Hogsmeade. Just go in and buy some doll stuff," Hermione said.  
  
"Me? Buy doll stuff? You've got to be kidding me, Hermione," Draco said, hoping that the Gryffindor girl was playing a joke on him.  
  
"Nope. I'm serious. It'll look a lot nicer, and it'll be a lot easier than making all the furniture yourself," Hermione said.  
  
"The project is due in a week, will I be able to get the supplies in time?"  
  
"Yup. This weekend is a Hogsmeade weekend for the 6th and 7th years, and I'll tell you what. I'll meet you down there to help you look for some items for your model,"  
  
"Sounds good to me," Draco said. A loud grumble interrupted the following silence.  
  
"And apparently food sounds good to me!" Hermione laughed.  
  
'Stupid stomach, that was so embarrassing, even if it is just Draco!' she thought to herself.  
  
"Alright, let's go get some grub and meet Dumbledore. He better not make us do any demeaning tasks," Draco said, failing to give an example.  
  
"Yeah. I agree," Hermione said, grabbing her bookbag as Draco picked up his. He walked ahead of her and held the portrait door open as Hermione stepped through.  
  
"Thanks,"  
  
"Welcome,"  
  
Together the two walked down the corridor towards the Great Hall, walking side by side, and being cordial.  
  
Hermione and Draco weren't the first to arrive. Despite the early time, the Great Hall was still bustling with people.  
  
The pair stood at the entrance and looked around at all the early birds.  
  
Footsteps brought Hermione's attention to a figure fast approaching. She smiled when she recognized the handsome face of Eric.  
  
"Hey Hermione!" he greeted her, then nodded towards Draco, who just scowled.  
  
"Hey Eric!" Hermione greeted back. Draco still stood by Hermione's side, like a guard; unmoving and fierce.  
  
"I was just wondering..."

**Ooh. What IS Eric wondering? Guess you'll have to stay tuned to find out ; ) Until next time! Lots of love,  
English-Foxlette**


	7. Party Plans and Bad Dates

**

* * *

Hey everyone, how've ya'll been doing? I'm good. But I just wanted to inform you guys that I won't be here for a little while, since I'll be at a soccer tournament. I'll be sure to update the minute I get back though! Now remember, I don't own Harry Potter, but the storyline is mostly mine. So yeah..enjoy!**

**Chapter 6**

**[Previously]**

"Hey Hermione!" he greeted her, then nodded towards Draco, who just scowled.

"Hey Eric!" Hermione greeted back. Draco still stood by Hermione's side, like a guard; unmoving and fierce.

"I was just wondering..."

**[End]**

"Yes?" Hermione prompted.

"You wanna go out some time?" He asked, staring straight into her eyes. Hermione was taken aback. Someone...wanted to go out...with her? Hermione dropped her bookbag out of shock. So she quickly bent down to get it. Above her, Draco glared at Eric, who smirked cockily and mouthed what looked like 'mine.' This made Draco glare even more.

"Umm...OK," Hermione said uneasily as she shifted her bag over her shoulder.

"Great! Maybe you want to get a bite to eat this weekend? I hear it's a Hogsmeade weekend," Eric commented.

"Alright. We'll work out the details later, OK?" Hermione said.

"Sure. I'll talk to you after Arithmancy tomorrow!" Eric said before jogging back over towards his own table.

"Come eat with me since none of our friends are here," Hermione suggested, turning to Draco. Draco scowled in Eric's direction before looking down at Hermione.

"Alright, but if anyone asks, it's Head business," Draco said, as the headed towards the unfamiliar territory of the Gryffindor table. Hermione nodded and lead him over to her table.

Draco looked around uneasily, almost ignoring the fact that food was on his plate.

"You gunna eat? You were the one complaining about being hungry," Hermione commented as she took a bite of waffles.

"Oh...yeah," Draco said absentmindedly as he picked up a fork and cut apart some scrambled eggs.

10 minutes later, more students started to come in droves, and Draco decided it wouldn't be the best idea to stay. Besides, they had both mostly finished their meals.

"Umm...You wanna go back and help me plan out my project?" Draco said in a near whisper.

"Sure," Hermione agreed, shivering at the hot breath in her ear.

Just as the pair were walking out, Ginny, Harry, and Ron walked in.

"Hermione!" Ginny called out, dashing towards her friend.

"Hey, I'll catch up with you in a few minutes, ok?" Hermione said quietly as she opened her arms for the embrace she knew was coming. Draco said nothing as he stalked out of the room. Hermione quirked an eyebrow, but was soon nearly talked to the ground.

"Oh my gosh, I haven't seen you in like, forever!" Ginny exaggerated as she squeezed Hermione's torso.

"It's only been a day!" Hermione giggled.

"Still feels like longer. So was that Malfoy I saw you with?" Ginny said. Harry and Ron sat down at the table, gesturing for them to come over.

"Yeah,"

"May I ask why?" Ginny asked, a mischievious glint in her eye.

"Um...Head business. You know, top secret stuff," Hermione said with a wink.

"Ooh, do tell," Ginny said.

'Uh oh,' Hermione thought, she had to come up with something good. Her friends would see through her if she didn't come up with a response, and quick!

"Uh...Hogwarts is going to have a...uh...a party!"

"A party?" Ron said in between toast bites. Harry munched, silently watching the exchange with mirthful eyes.

"Uh yeah, but that's all I can tell you! I gotta go now! I'll talk to you guys later!" Hermione said, dashing out the door.

"Miss Granger!" A deep voice bellowed from the front of the room. Hermione stopped and turned around slowly. Dumbledore waved her over.

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore?"

"So Hogwarts is going to have a dance is it?"

"Oh, um. I just made that up because-"

"Well, if you don't want to let your friends down, you might want to plan this party. I'll leave it up to you and Mister Malfoy to decide the details. Just tell me when the date is," he said, his eyes shining behind his half-crescent glasses. Hermione nodded and trudged out of the room.

'Draco is going to kill me for giving him extra duties' Hermione groaned inwardly as she made her way up the staircase.

* * *

"We have to what?!" Draco's voice echoed all throughout the Head Dormitories. He paced back and forth, spitting mad.

"I'm sorry! You said you didn't want anyone to know that we were eating together, and that was the first thing that popped in my mind!" Hermione yelled back.

"Argh!" Draco said, running his hand through his hair.

"Alright, we better plan this dance then," Draco said, plopping down on the Slytherin couch.

"Yeah, I guess we should," Hermione agreed, sitting down next to him, placing her hands in her lap. Draco extended an arm on the back of the couch.

"OK, so should it be for all years?" Hermione asked.

"How about just 7th years?" Draco said. He wasn't fond of the idea of little first years running around when he was trying to make his moves on the ladies.

"How about 6th and 7th? Ginny would kill me if she got excluded," Hermione said, frowning.

"Fine,"

"So...should we serve food, and what kind of activities?"

"Why not just serve some food and drinks, and hire a DJ. Everyone can either talk and hang out, or dance," Draco suggested.

"Great idea! We could serve finger foods and just have a bunch of punch bowls and stuff," Hermione said. Draco laughed evilly at the prospect of a bunch of punch bowls. Hermione caught on and followed up her statement.

"Of course, we'll have to look into some anti-spiking spells,"

"You just have to take the fun out of everything, don't you, Granger?"

"Do -you- wan't a bunch of drunken 6th years crashing into you and asking you for sex?" Hermione said, eyeing him out of the corner of her eye. Draco huffed in response.

"Well, I'd get that anyways," Draco said, referring to the statement about people asking him for sex.

"Really? People regularly come up to you drunk off their bums asking for sex?"

"No! I mean, when they're sober, I get girls crawling all over me,"

"Funny, I haven't seen any of that this year, or even the end of last year,"

"So I'm trying to clean up my image a bit," Draco shrugged, gripping the back of the couch a little tighter.

"Let's have it the week before the quidditch season begins," Hermione suggested after a moment of consideration.

"So it doesn't conflict with practice, good idea. I like the way you think!" Draco said. Even if hell froze over and Voldemort revealed himself to be a possessed pink fuzzy bunny slipper, he would not miss quidditch practice.

'This year, Slytherin will beat those disgusting Gryffindors!' He thought happily.

"Really?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

"Well...some of the time," Draco blanched. Hermione turned and hugged him in a spur of the moment thing. He had just said he liked they way she thought, which was one of the sweetest things she had ever heard out of his filthy mouth.

Draco meanwhile, sat there unmoving in shock. Slowly he raised his arms up and wrapped them around her. They stayed that way for a few seconds before letting go rather abruptly.

"Agh, now I got girl germs all over me!" Draco said, looking at himself in sheer (possibly fake) disgust.

"Shut up, Malfoy, and get to class!" Hermione yelled, as she picked up her bag and stalked out the portrait hole. Draco grinned and followed her out.

* * *

The rest of the week went by normally. Hermione hung out with Harry, Ron, and Ginny more and had classes and assignments more often, so she didn't see too much of Draco. Some fleeting greetings and meager waves and nods sufficed for their communication.

Soon, it was Saturday morning. Hermione turned over in bed, humming as she started to gain consciousness. The sheets below her rustled as she pushed herself up and stretched out like a cat. She heard a few satisfying cracks as the stiffness in her back was relieved.

She pulled back the bed curtains, which she had drawn for the hell of it, and stepped out. Hermione looked back at her soft, warm bed regretfully, but no, she had work to do that day!

Draco looked up from his post at his sink. Shaving cream adorned the lower half of his face and he had a razor poised in hand. He paused, like a deer caught in headlights, as Hermione walked in. He quickly regained himself and rinsed his razor out before taking another swipe at his face.

"Morning," Hermione mumbled her greeting as she took out her tooth brush and paste. Draco 'Mmm-ed' in response.

"So, aren't you going to be the busy one today," Draco commented as he patted the water off his tender cheeks.

"What do you mean?" Hermione said in a frothy tone, careful that she didn't spit as she spoke.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken, you're going to go shopping with Ginny, get a cup of coffee with Eric, and you're going to help me look for that antique store for dollhouse furniture," Draco said tartly.

"Oh gosh..." Hermione said, realizing all the promises she had made.

"So what are you going to do, Granger?" Draco said, saying her name with a touch of bitterness.

"I suppose I'll go shopping with Ginny first, get some coffee with Eric, and then help you,"

"All of this within a four hour time frame?"

"I can do it!" Hermione said indignantly. She wasn't sure she liked the tone Draco had taken on that morning.

"Just remember, you don't have a time turner to help you this time," Draco reminded her before walking out of the bathroom. Hermione glared after him.

'Stupid Malfoy. Thinks he knows everything,' Hermione thought angrily as she finished getting ready.

She walked back into her room, and picked up her black school robes.

"That's right, it's a Hogsmeade weekend! Normal clothes!" Hermione said aloud cheerily. She opened her armoire and fingered a few shirts. She finally selected a pink polo shirt with miniature white and grey stripes. She tugged it on over her head, nearly popping a button off.

'I gotta remember to unbutton my shirts before putting them on,' Hermione vowed as she selected a pair of jeans and a rainbow belt she'd had since her third year.

She put a few coins in her tan cargo purse before setting out into the common room. She stood stalk still at the sight in front of her. From behind, the platinum blonde boy was wearing some faded jeans and a black long sleeve shirt, the sleeves of which had been rolled up to the elbow.

Draco felt eyes on his back, and turned around. He saw Hermione giving him the once over, and he smirked.

Hermione's eyes widened a little. The top few buttons were undone, exposing a little bit of the flesh on his chest. He had spritzed on some aftershave and he smelled vaguely like pine.

Draco observed the girl in front of him. She looked preppy in a way, but she still looked pretty good. Draco shrugged the feeling off as he nodded his head in the general direction of the portrait hole. Hermione nodded silently, and the two set off.

* * *

Hermione and Draco met up with Ginny in the courtyard, and Ginny quickly latched onto Hermione's arm.

"So, do you want to come and shop with us?"

"Please, Granger, I do have better things to do than hang around with the Gryffindor Bookworm and the Weaselette," Draco said, rolling his eyes.

"Like what?" Ginny challenged angrily.

"That's for me to know," Draco said as he walked off. "Oi! Zabini!" He called to his friend ahead.

"Insolent jerk," Ginny spat after him.

"He's actually not that bad," Hermione said as the two walked down the dirt path towards the little town of Hogsmeade.

"Dear Lord! Hermione has joined the darkside!" Ginny said, feigning horror.

"Oh shut up, Ginny" Hermione said, punching her friend softly in the arm to try and shut her giggles up.

"I was just teasing,"

"I know, but I'm serious. He can be a jerk sometimes, even I won't deny that, but this past week hasn't been so bad. He's been...decent!" Hermione said.

"Really? How so?" Ginny asked, thoroughly interested in what her friend saw in her brothers' enemy number one.

"Well, he admitted that he needed help with a few things, and that he admires the way I think," Hermione said, blushing at the memory.

Ginny quirked an eyebrow.

"Is there something going on between you two?"

"No!"

"Just checking...But you know if there was, you could tell me. He is pretty cute,"

"Tell me about it," Hermione said as the two giggling girls stepped onto the cobblestone path of the town.

After forty-five minutes of shopping, Hermione and Ginny were looking in a bookstore. Hermione was standing in front of Gilderoy Lockhart's first books, and she rolled her eyes. What had she seen in that disgusting fake? She heard a ring in the background, and Ginny came up behind her, holding a book out to her.

The book was red textured cloth, and the cover felt a little puffy. A gilded heart and a key were embroidered on the cover. The pages were all blank, and lined with silver ink. A red satin ribbon flowed out of the spine of the book.

"It's a diary. I know you've been holding in a lot of things lately, so, since you might not want to tell me, you can spill your gut in this," Ginny said, pushing the diary into Hermione's hands.

"Thanks, Gin! It's great! I'll be sure to write in it a lot!" Hermione said, putting the book in her cargo purse. The two smiled at each other as they made their way out of the store and back down the street.

The clock on top of Gringott's bank rang loudly, signaling that it was noon. Hermione had a little less than two hours to hang out with Eric and help Draco with his project supplies.

Luckily for Hermione, she didn't have to look hard for her date. Eric came running up the street, waving.

"Hey there!" he called out.

"I'll leave you two alone for your little date, now. Have fun. I'll be in the candy shop if you need me," Ginny said, backing away from her friend.

"OK, talk to you later!" Hermione called back to the red-haired girl. Eric came jogging up as she finished her salutations.

* * *

"Hey," Hermione said to Eric as he trotted up to her side.

"Hello. How're you today?"

"I'm good. You?"

"I'm terrific. So, wanna go get a drink?" Eric suggested.

"OK, sounds good to me," Hermione said. Eric grinned and wrapped his arm around her waist, dangerously low in Hermione's book, and lead her down the street. Hermione's tennis shoes scuffed the cobblestone street as she looked through the windows of the shops they passed by, trying to ignore the feel of his hand near her butt.

Hermione got a confused look on her face when Eric led her to the door of the Three Broomsticks. She had thought Eric was taking her to the nice coffee shop Harry took Cho to. Hermione shrugged and decided to 'go with the flow.'

Her decision proved to be a very bad one, as after an hour and 6 shots of firewhiskey later, Eric was quite drunk. His speech was slurred, and he started to pink around the cheeks.

"Scho schweet-cheeks, howsch about you lean in and give Daddy a kissch?" Eric said, swaying slightly in his seat, and looking at Hermione through half-lidded eyes. Hermione frowned. Their conversation had started out nicely enough, learning that Eric was from Norway, but had been kicked out of Durmstrang for a reason he did not wish to enclose, and much more about himself. It was hard for Hermione to get a word in edgewise, as Eric proved to be a real chatterbox.

"Err...No thanks," Hermione said, wincing at his rancid breath. Eric leaned towards her. Hermione regretted choosing a booth to sit in, and even more so her insistence of him being at her side and not across from her.

"Come on, you know you wanna," Eric said, edging even closer.

"I said, 'no thanks'!" Hermione insisted, moving as far away as she could, which proved to be only inches as she pressed her right shoulder up against the wall.

"I waschn't aschking. I wasch telling," Eric said as he firmly pressed his lips against hers, pushing her back against the wall with his body. Hermione squirmed under the kiss and shoved him away a few inches.

"Stop it!" Hermione yelled. Her yell was mostly in vain, as the bar was quite crowded, and most everyone was yelling to be heard over the crowd.

"Quit putting up a fight. You may shink you're a bookworm, but I know you want me," Eric said, shoving his lips against hers again. He wrapped his arms around her, placing one hand at the base of her skull to push her further into the kiss.

Hermione pushed and pushed against his chest, but to little or no avail. Hermione shuddered when she felt his thick wet tongue trying to pry her lips open and gain access to the hot cavern of her mouth. But Hermione kept her lips firmly sealed. She closed her eyes and willed him to stop. After a few minutes of him slobbering all over her, she felt a weight being lifted off the seat.

She opened her eyes and saw Eric had been pulled out of the booth roughly. He was now sprawled on the ground, with an empty shot glass by his ear. She looked at the young man laying on the dirty ground, groaning in pain, and wondered who had been her savior. She looked up and saw...

* * *

**Ooh cliffy. You're all probably going to yell at me, but hey! It was long this time wasn't it? Also, just to let you know, it's not who you think it is ::cough::notDraco::cough:: Alright, I'll update maybe early 2morrow morning (if i do, it'll be short) otherwise either sunday night, or monday morning. Okies, take care everyone, and please review! Lots of love to everyone (specially Ashley, whom this chapter is dedicated to. I love you Ashley! Hope you feel better!)  
English-Foxlette**


	8. Three Galleons and Drinks

**Sorry it took so long to update, been busy. Plus I've been developing a few new ideas...so expect a new fic out soon! Alright, here's the latest installment! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7**

**[Previously]**

She opened her eyes and saw Eric had been pulled out of the booth roughly. He was now sprawled on the ground, with an empty shot glass by his ear. She looked at the young man laying on the dirty ground, groaning in pain, and wondered who had been her savior. She looked up and saw...

**[End]**

"Harry? Ron?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

"You better keep your hands off our friend, or things will get _real _ugly, _real _soon," Ron threatened. Hermione felt tears welling up in her eyes. Here were her two best friends, defending her like she was their sister. She loved her friends so much...in a brotherly-friendly kind of way...

Harry helped Hermione off the ground, and put his arms around her, much like he did to protect her from Dementors in their third year. Hermione embraced Harry back, and tried to fight back the tears that threatened to fall. Ron, meanwhile, continued to threaten Eric in a low threatening voice. Ron, then turned, and his eyes turned from pure anger and loathing, to sympathetic sweetness as he looked at Hermione.

Ron stood on the other side of Hermione, and he and Harry helped her out of the bar.

"You OK, Hermione?" Harry asked, once they were out on the street. Smoke billowed from the chimneys of the stores, and window shopping witches and wizards roamed the street, chatting excitedly.

"I'm alright...now. But how did you guys find me?" Hermione asked, as they turned down the path, headed towards the beginning of the street.

"You're not going to believe us...but Malfoy told us!" Ron exclaimed.

"And I quote, 'Your dear little Granger is being taken advantage of as we speak, so unless you want to let that happen, you'd better get your sorry arses down to the Three Broomsticks," Harry said verbatim of what he had been told.

"Draco told you where I was? I didn't even know he knew where I was, much less cared," Hermione said.

"Sounds a bit fishy to me," Ron said aloud. Sure he knew he was a little dense, but he wasn't dense enough to see someone trying to take advantage of another person. He wasn't quite sure of Draco's intentions, so he vowed to keep an eye on him.

Meanwhile, the young man in question leaned against a wall down the street, staring at the trio coming towards him. Harry and Ron instinctively slowed, not wanting to engage their 'enemy.'

At the sight of the slender Slytherin, Hermione's mind reeled. How did he know where she was? Why did he care? And finally, Hermione remembered that she had promised to take him to find some supplies for his project. Hermione stopped and turned to look at her friends.

"Harry, Ron, thank you guys so much for helping me out back there. I don't want to seem ungrateful, but I should go. I need to talk to Malfoy. But don't worry, I won't be caught defenseless this time," Hermione said, pulling her wand out of her robes and waving it slightly in the air. Harry and Ron looked at each other, and then nodded. Hermione smiled, giving her two best friends a hug, then dashed down towards Draco.

"You think she'll be alright?" Ron wondered aloud once she was out of earshot.

"I'm pretty sure. I'm not trying to go soft or anything, but...I think I trust Malfoy a little more now..." Harry said in a low voice. Ron gaped at his friend. Since when had his best friend start to trust their enemy? Ron couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh shut up, Ron," Harry said, punching the red head lightly on the arm.

"Oi, let's go check out Fred and George's shop! He owled me a few days ago and said they had a new product to show us," Ron said excitedly. Harry grinned and the two started briskly walking in the direction of Ron's twin brothers' joke shop.

* * *

Hermione slowed to a walk as she neared Draco, who watched her the whole time. When she finally stopped, she was a few feet away from him, standing there awkwardly. They were silent, and the only noise between them was the sound of Hermione's breathing.

"How...how did you know I was in trouble?" Hermione ventured.

"Instinct," Draco said numbly, shrugging his shoulders against the wall.

"I'm serious! How did you know he was going to pull something?" Hermione persisted. Draco sighed.

"When you dropped your books the other day after he asked you to sit with him, he gave me a dirty look and said you were his. Besides Granger, it's not like you're not the new catch in school," Draco said, turning and walking away. Hermione jogged to catch up.

"What do you mean the 'new catch'?" Hermione questioned, pulling him around to face her. She was thoroughly confused at this point, and she was beginning to get annoyed with Draco's evasiveness. She could see she hit an awkward point, because Draco started to flush a little bit.

"Well...uh, just over the summer you've gotten a little...more attractive. So -cough- it's understandable that guys would be after you, thinking the uh...wrong thing," Draco said, not meeting Hermione's gaze, but seemingly fascinated with the creaky wooden sign above him. Hermione smiled and launched herself at him, pinning his arms down in a quick hug. Draco tensed.

"Wha-wha-what are you doing?! Granger! We're in public!" Draco sputtered, frantically looking about.

'No! Don't make her let go!' Draco groaned in his head.

'She's a mudblood AND a Gryffindor. What would happen if someone saw us?' Draco countered. The voice in his head fell silent as Hermione whispered something and loosened her grip.

"What'd you say?" Draco asked, looking down at the curly honey locks below him. Hermione stepped back and titled her head up, her eyes looking a bit watery.

"I said, thank you," Hermione repeated. Draco's eyes softened and he smiled a small smile. Then he realized what he had done and coughed uncomfortably.

"OK, Granger, enough's enough. Now, are you going to help me with my project or what?" Draco said, concentrating on everything and anything other than the hug he had just received.

"Alright, alright. You're right. Hmm...The antique place should have some old doll houses, or...at least it had some last time I checked. I think it was down this side street over here," Hermione said, walking quickly ahead of Draco. Draco looked about, then trailed briskly behind.

The bell over the wooden door tinkled crisply as Hermione and Draco entered the musty, grey shop. All around the room were various items, ranging from tattered old books, to rusty, grimy candelabras to...

"Doll houses!" Hermione whispered loudly to Draco. The old wizard behind the counter looked at them through huge coke-bottle lenses. His expression was unreadable through the many lines of aging in his face. His skin sagged over his bones, and his white hair was patchy and he was nearly bald. Draco turned around to look away from the old man.

Hermione, meanwhile, was focusing on a large doll house in front of her. The back was open, like most if not all doll houses were, and you could see all of the different rooms. Hermione searched each room, picking up things here and there that might be placed in a muggle living room.

Hermione was quite satisfied with her findings: A black and brown box that vaguely resembled a television, a brown pleated couch, a red, green, and yellow rug, a coffee table, and other various items. Hermione cupped her hands together and scooped up the 'toys.'

"Sir, how much for this doll house furniture?" Hermione asked, setting the toys on the dusty glass countertop. The old man licked his lips and opened his mouth as he titled his glasses and eyed the miniature appliances.

"Hmm...3 Galleons," the old man said after his quick appraisal.

"WHAT?!" Hermione yelled, outraged at the steep price.

"Three Galleons," the old man repeated. Hermione drew in a breath to retort, but Draco caught her arm.

"Alright, then. Three Galleons," Draco said, fishing out a few coins of his pocket. Hermione stared in wonderment at Draco.

The old man smiled weakly as he stuffed the furniture in a small bag and handed it to Draco, who nodded solemnly. The bell tinkled once again as the two exited to shop.

"Are you _crazy_? You actually _carry_ that much money around with you?" Hermione said, incredulously. Draco kept on walking.

"Why not? It's not that much money," Draco said, unaware that Hermione only held about 47 Galleons to her name.

"But still! Can you believe that old guy? Three galleons for a handful of toys?"

"Hey! It's three galleons spent towards passing my project!" Draco said, defending his purchase. Hermione sighed. He was right, and besides, it was his money to spend as he pleased.

* * *

"You want to go get something to drink?" Draco said idly, not meeting Hermione's gaze as they walked along the street.

"Oh...OK. Just as long as it's not the Three Broomsticks. I'll be a little hesitant to go there for a while," Hermione joked.

Draco lead the way, turning left at Scrivenshafts Quill Shop, and continuing down the path. Hermione followed close by his side, but nearly fell over when she saw the place they were heading.

Like all of the other places in Hogsmeade, this place had a sign. In pink, cursive, the carved sign read "Madam Puddifoot's." Hermione heard about this place from Harry. He said it was overly frilly with doilies and the like, but it was strangely homey. It was notorious for being visited by Hogwarts' most current couples.

"Uhh...Draco? Why are we going here?"

"Well, you said it yourself, that you didn't want to go back to the Three Broomsticks, and this is the only decent place in town to get a drink," Draco explained. Hermione narrowed her eyes as she stared at him out of the corner of her left eye. He has been way too cool about everything for the last 10 minutes.

Draco stepped up to the door, and held it open as Hermione entered in. She was instantly hit with an aroma of tea and freshly baked sugar cookies. She sniffed the warm air and like Harry said, felt a little more relaxed and felt like she was at home. Draco seated himself at a small circular table, and looked at Hermione expectantly. Hermione blushed and sat down across from him.

Draco and Hermione looked and felt out of place, as most couples were kissing over the top of the table, or holding hands gently. Hermione coughed nervously and looked around, her eyes settling on Draco, who was currently trying to wave down Madam Puddifoot. He looked out of place; his place complexion and dark green and black robes contrasted greatly with the pink wallpaper. Hermione smiled inwardly.

"Oi! Can we get some service! Please?" Draco said, tacking on the p word at the end, trying not to seem too uncivil in front of Hermione.

'What do I care? She's just a-'

"What can I get for you two?" The woman in a white, lacey apron asked cheerily.

"Can I just get some coffee?" The woman nodded and turned to Hermione.

"Umm...Tea please. Earl grey, with a pinch of sugar.

"Sure thing. I'll be back with your drinks in a minute," she said before hustling off towards the kitchen.

"Hey uh...hermione," Draco said uneasily. Saying her name wasn't as easy as he'd hoped. He'd always addressed her as Granger or Mudblood, but he couldn't help feeling guilty for calling her that.

"Yes?" Hermione said pleasantly, folding her hands together on the table.

"I just wanted to thank you, again, for helping with the project," Draco said in a low voice. He didn't want anyone to here him, for fear of bashing his reputation, which was already starting to lose momentum, due to the fact he hadn't been with a girl for several months.

"You're very welcome," Hermione said. "I suppose you might want some help on setting it up?"

"How bout I arrange things, and before I charm them not to move, you look it over to see if I have everything in the right place," Draco proposed his idea.

"Alright," Hermione said in surprise. Usually, the pureblood boy would have tried to get Hermione to do all the work. It was a nice change. She placed her hands separately palm down and stared at Draco.

"So...what exactly did Eric do to you?" Draco said curiously. He had been dying to ask her all afternoon, but decided against it. Until now.

Hermione flinched, recalling his chapped lips placed roughly upon hers. Draco felt her uneasiness and brought one hand up on top of the table. He subtly laced the tips of their fingers together as he listened.

"He tried to kiss me, and his hand start to crawl up my robes under my skirt. Thank goodness Ron and Harry were there to stop him," Hermione said hurriedly.

"Yeah, thank goodness," Draco whispered, staring at the empty table next to him. Hermione was about to ask what he was thinking about when the woman came back with two steaming mugs. She set each ceramic mug in front of their owner, and left with a cheeky smile.

Draco picked his up, and blew across the top of the dark liquid before pressing the edge of it to his lips, slurping it soundlessly. Hermione watched, absentmindedly stirring her own. She too raised her mug up and sipped it, but nearly spit it out. She set her glass down hurriedly, and stuck her tongue out. Draco laughed a hardy laugh as Hermione fanned her poor scalded tongue.

"Might want to let your tea cool a bit, dear!" The woman called from across the restaurant.

"I could've used that information about 10 seconds ago," Hermione muttered bitterly. Draco laughed some more and took another sip, without blowing the steam away.

Two seconds later, Draco too was fanning his tongue with Hermione laughing at him.

"Karma!" Hermione laughed.

Once the laughter had died down to a lull, Hermione and Draco just sat there, sipping their respective drinks and not meeting each other's gaze. They both finished their drinks rather quickly. Their eyes met once Hermione's empty mug met the table with a -clink- and they both nodded. They rose from their seats, and Draco once again fished around in his pockets, finally tossing down a golden Galleon onto the tabletop. The woman swooped in a picked it up, waving cheerfully as the two exited.

"What a cute couple," she said idly as she picked up the empty mugs.

* * *

**Haha, not a cliffy, well....not quite. I'll try to update as soon as I can, but like I said, I'm waiting for some inspiration, some time, and I'm helping a friend develop her plot a bit too, soooooo yeah. Reviews would be greatly appreciated to keep the fic going! Okies, time for bed. Lots of love to all the readers.**

**English-Foxlette**


	9. Comments and Migraines

**Hey everybody! I've got the latest installment of the Seventh Year! And guess what! I'm "co-writing" (aka, giving helpful hints and making a cameo) a fic with my best mate, so hopefully it'll be up soon. I'll keep you posted! Until then, here's the latest chapter!**

**Chapter 8**

**[Previously]**

"Karma!" Hermione laughed.

Once the laughter had died down to a lull, Hermione and Draco just sat there, sipping their respective drinks and not meeting each other's gaze. They both finished their drinks rather quickly. Their eyes met once Hermione's empty mug met the table with a -clink- and they both nodded. They rose from their seats, and Draco once again fished around in his pockets, finally tossing down a golden Galleon onto the tabletop. The woman swooped in a picked it up, waving cheerfully as the two exited.

"What a cute couple," she said idly as she picked up the empty mugs.

**[End]**

The clock in the stone clock tower down the street rang a few times, and groaning could be heard from every Hogwarts student. It was time to go back to the school, and the students reluctantly filed back towards the looming stone buildings in the distance. Hermione and Draco walked in the back of the pack, while everyone else hustled past them.

"Hah, to be honest with you, I never knew I'd have this much fun with you," Hermione said, trying desperately to make conversation.

"You're not so bad yourself...Hermione," Draco said, resisting his instinct to call her Granger.

"Kind of hard to believe this is our last year, here at Hogwarts," Hermione said, staring fondly at the school.

"Yeah. I can't wait to leave it behind, but in a way, it's like a second home – just not as nice and I actually have to do physical chores," Draco drawled.

"You're such a spoiled brat, you know that?" Hermione laughed, punching him in the arm lightly.

"I know, but you wouldn't like me any other way," Draco said, lightly pushing her back. Hermione feigned that she had been hit really hard and looked at Draco in false horror.

"You _never _hit a lady! We're too fragile!" Hermione said in an overly-girlish tone. Draco snorted.

"I didn't know you were a lady! Congratulations on the sex change!" Draco laughed. But he wasn't aware that he had struck a nerve. Hermione huffed, shot him a dirty look, and hurried ahead.

"Oh come on, I was kidding!" Draco said, rolling his eyes in exasperation as he jogged to catch up with the angry Gryffindor.

"Could've fooled me," Hermione said bitterly, her hair whipping about her face as she turned to give Draco a cold look. Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off.

"Don't you have someone else to bother, Malfoy?" Harry said angrily as he and Ron approached Hermione and Draco.

"As a matter of fact, I don't. Now bugger off!" Draco replied, just as angry.

"I don't think you understand, Ferret. Leave. Hermione. _Alone_!" Ron threatened, cracking his knuckles at the end of his statement.

"Ooh, I'm so scared. What's the Weasel King going to do?" Draco taunted.

"Would all of you just shut up!" Hermione yelled before running up the path, her fists clenched.

The three boys stared after her silently, then looked at each other. Ron and Harry threw Draco a few dirty looks, and in response, Draco spat in their direction. Harry and Ron narrowed their eyes and kept walking.

Once inside the castle, Hermione stormed angrily about. She didn't want to go back to the Head dormitories because she knew Draco would be there. Instead, Hermione opted to walk around the castle grounds under the guise that she was 'patrolling' as it were.

Hermione walked around the stone dungeons and through the dimly lit corridors. She was thinking about what he had said. He was probably kidding, but it still hurt. It was bad enough that she had been called boyish most of her life (which is why she grew out her hair) and it was even worse when she was considered the fallback date for Ron and Harry. She thought she had overcome those days of embarrassment, but maybe she thought wrong.

Hermione stepped silently up the stairs of the Head Tower, unaware that a certain blonde boy waited inside.

* * *

"Argh!" Draco yelled in frustration, tipping the shoe box over, causing it's contents to spill out onto the table.

Currently, the pureblood had no idea what he was doing. He had seen very few models of a muggle living room, and even then, they were merely the corners of the rooms. But no, Draco had to design a WHOLE room. He combed through his hair with his fingers, once again picking everything up, placing it piece by piece.

First came the couch, which he set in the center of the 'room.' Secondly, he set a miniature coffee table in front of it. So far so good. Then he placed the model of the television behind the couch. Draco shrugged and picked up a lamp, which he set precariously on the narrow coffee table. After that, he put a recliner directly across from the couch, and set a tiny end table next to it. And finally, he set the stereo system backing up against a wall, and across from that he set the bookshelf.

Most of it seemed right to him, but he was still thoroughly confused about the television and the stereo, which was portrayed by a modest jukebox.

And yet, even if he wanted to, he couldn't wholly concentrate himself on his task at hand. His mind kept drifting back to Hermione. He felt bad for saying mean things to her, even if it was in fun. He sighed and hunched over the table, where he sat for a few moments, looking at his project.

"Dammit Granger," he said at last, standing up and retrieving his cloak. But just as he was about to tie it about his neck, the girl in question stumbled through the portrait hole. Her eyes were sad and downcast, and she shuffled lightly on the wooden floors.

Hermione pretended not to notice Draco staring at her, and she pretended that the tears welling up in her eyes were from anger, and not sadness. She shuffled her feet against the floor, slowly making her way towards her room. She had just reached a hand out to turn the door knob to her room, when Draco caught her arm, and spun her around carefully.

"Hey look...About what I said. I'm sorry," Draco said softly, tilting her head up with his index finger.

"No you're not. You, like everyone else, thinks I'm just a...a...a BOY!" Hermione yelled, hot tears streaming down her face. Draco sighed inwardly and rubbed her tears away. The curious thing was, that Hermione let him.

"You're not a boy. I just said that because I was just being dumb. You're a very beautiful girl, Hermione," Draco said.

"No I'm not! You're only saying that to make me feel better!" Hermione cried, going on and on about how she looked like a boy. Draco thought hard: he needed to stop her, and fast. Now...how had he always shut Pansy up when she was being obnoxious? OF COURSE!  
  
In midsentence, Draco leaned down and captured Hermione's lips with his own in a soft, tender kiss. He leaned back after a few seconds, and Hermione stared at him with saucers for eyes. She tentatively reached up a hand, and touched her lips with her fingers.

"What was that for?" Hermione said.

"Because you're a beautiful girl, and since I don't kiss boys, I guess that proves you're a girl," Draco explained. Hermione thought about it for a second.

"Otherwise I would've melted, right?" Hermione quipped, before a wide smile crept across her face. Draco smiled in relief.

"Right," he joked back. Hermione smiled up at him before engulfing him in a warm, friendly hug. Draco didn't hesitate this time, to hug back.

"So, you going to help me with my project, or what?" Draco said, once she left his arms, leaving him feeling a little colder than he had felt before.

"Sure," Hermione laughed in agreement as they walked over to see Draco's project. Hermione took a few minutes to survey it, before turning to Draco.

"Overall, most everything is in the right place. You just need to... 'fine tune' it a bit," Hermione said.

"Alright, so show me what I messed up,"

"First of all, the television goes in front of the couch, and the recliner goes on either side of the couch. Second of all, lamps usually go on end tables,"

"That's what I thought, but some muggle ways are so twisted," Draco said. Hermione threw him a look. Draco put his hands in the air in surrender and allowed the girl to continue.

"So yeah, just move the recliner to the side of the couch like so, and put the end table on the side like this. You put the lamp here, and put the coffee table like so, and voila!"

Draco bent down to survey the room a little closer, and smiled in approval. He righted himself and turned to Hermione.

"Thanks for putting the furniture in the correct way for me," Draco said. He then cast her a quizzical look when she picked up the box.

"Whatever do you mean? I didn't put it together for you. You have to do it for yourself," Hermione said as she shook up the contents of the box.

"No! What're you doing?!" Draco cried out when he saw the contents of the box bouncing around in the box.

"You have to do it yourself, dear. Now, if you need me, I'll be in the shower," Hermione said over her shoulder, as she triumphantly made her way into the bathroom.

Draco glared daggers after her. All his hard work!

'What are you talking about? She did most of the work, fixing your flaws,' his inner voice said.

'Shut up...And why do you only show up to point out my mistakes?'

'Do you really want me around more often?'

'You have a point...'

'Yes I do. Now...GET BACK TO WORK!' the voice reprimanded him.

"Alright alright, back to work," Draco said with a resigned breath as he poured the items out of the box and began to rearrange it.

* * *

Inside the bathroom, Hermione was quite pleased with herself. She took her time, covering her body from head to toe in sudsy bubbles, rinsing them off, and starting the process over again. As much as she cleansed her body physically, she still felt a little tainted because of Eric. She shuddered as a cold chill ran down her spine. Goosebumps sprang up all over her arms and legs, despite the warm water that poured over them.

Hermione finally rinsed her hair free from conditioner and stopped the water. She stepped out onto the cream bath mat, and wrapped a towel around her torso. She brought her hands up to her head and wrung out the excess water in her hair, then let it hang limply over her shoulders. She found her comb and calmly brushed her hair. Hermione wasn't in any hurry to go anywhere except for bed, so she took her sweet time doing her nightly ritual.

She picked up her pajamas from the hook she kept them on, and pulled on some fresh underwear. By now she had learned to leave a new change of clothes or PJ's in the bathroom, so as not to get caught 'semi-streaking' again. She pulled a white tank top over her head, which said 'GRYFFINDOR' in red faded letters across the chest. Then she pulled on her plaid pajama pants and slipped her feet into some comfy pink slippers – gifts from Ginny.

Hermione wrapped her hair in a towel and stepped out of the steamy bathroom. Draco was relaxing on the couch with his eyes closed. He kept his eyes screwed shut, even though he felt and heard her presence nearby. Hermione meanwhile, surveyed his work. Everything was back in place, and he had even charmed a fake fireplace with a glowing fire in it.

"Very impressive. I like the fireplace touch," Hermione said, taken aback at how seriously he took his work.

"Thank you," Draco said, still refusing to move or even open one eye. Hermione saw this and bent over him. The end of her towel came undone and the tip of it touched Draco's forehead. He still refused to open his eyes, but swatted at the offending article, and mussed his hair in the process.

Hermione let her hand slowly make its way down to his hair and she stroked it lightly, brushing it out of his eyes, where it had rested moments before. Draco's hand shot up, and he opened his silver blue eyes. His pupils dilated as he focused on Hermione's face.

"You're hair is so soft," Hermione said. She wasn't even trying to break free of his grasp, even though seconds later he let go on his own accord.

"Well this is after years of brushing and caring for it properly," Draco drawled.

"Tell me about it," Hermione said, sitting down next to him on the couch.

"There used to be a rumor going around that you used baby shampoo. Is it, or was it true?" Hermione questioned, staring at his platinum gold locks.

"No, I DID NOT and DO NOT use baby shampoo. Maybe when I was a baby, but not since then!" Draco said, highly offended. After all, Malfoy's used only the _highest _quality wizarding salon shampoos and conditioners.

"I don't know...Your hair IS awfully soft," Hermione taunted.

"Shut up!" Draco yelled, jabbing a few fingers in her side. Hermione squealed and fell over onto the floor. Draco peered over the edge of the couch as Hermione wriggled about before standing up again, a bright red blush creeping across her features.

"What was that all about?" Draco asked mid-laugh.

"I'm umm...ticklish," Hermione admitted. She soon realized it was a mistake, because as soon as those words registered in Draco's brain, Hermione was tackled and was being tickled to death.

"No! Hahah! Stop! Hahah! Please!" Hermione screamed, trying not to give in and laugh herself silly. But Draco wouldn't have any of it. He smirked as his fingers flew across her stomach and sides, roughly tickling her through her night shirt. Hermione gasped as one of his warm hands found its way under her shirt and kept tickling.

"No! I give up! Hahahah! Uncle! Stop! Hahahah! I'm ahaha begging you! Ahahah!" Hermione screamed as she writhed about beneath him, trying to turn and escape his long arms. Finally Draco let up and allowed Hermione to breathe. They both sat up, Draco with a triumphant smile upon his face, and Hermione, red in the face from laughing so hard. Her head pounded as a migraine came on.

"Ohh," She moaned. "What was that for?"

"That was for messing up my project after we had finished it," Draco said.

"And here I thought it was because I insulted your hair products,"

"That too,"

"Ow. All that laughing gave me a migraine. Thanks a lot, Draco!" Hermione said loudly, rubbing her temples in circular patterns.

"Anytime," Draco said happily.

"Hmph. I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Draco," Hermione said finally, ending their conversation and heading towards her room.

"Night, 'Mione," Draco said absentmindedly as he stumbled into the bathroom. Neither had noticed he had called her 'Mione', which had only been used by Hermione's most intimate friends, which was basically limited to Ron, Harry, and Ginny. Instead, Draco shut the door and went about his nightly rituals.

* * *

**Aww, how cute. They're getting alone ;) I'll post more later! Lots of love to everyone, and if you love me, you'll review! Hugs and kisses!**

**English-Foxlette**


	10. Time Turners and Dislocated Shoulders

**Huzzah! Chapter nine, now up! I'll try to update a little quicker, because i FINALLY have a lot of inspiration built up. By the way, i want EVERYONE to keep a SHARP eye out for my best mate and fellow author, ILoveMantaRays. Expect great work from her, i know i do! Okies, back to 'the seventh year.' Quidditch is a lot harder to describe than i thought...oh well. Here goes!**

**Chapter 9**

**[Previously]**

"Night, 'Mione," Draco said absentmindedly as he stumbled into the bathroom. Neither had noticed he had called her 'Mione', which had only been used by Hermione's most intimate friends, which was basically limited to Ron, Harry, and Ginny. Instead, Draco shut the door and went about his nightly rituals.

**[End]**

By now, November had said its last goodbyes, and December came in with a vengeance. Feet of snow draped the school nightly, and everything was starting to be a bit more cheerful as the Christmas holidays loomed ever closer. But even with all the tidings and good cheer that the season brought, it also brought a cold epidemic. And with the thousand plus students attending Hogwarts, a little less than half of the school was bed-ridden.

Hermione was no exception.

Hermione and Draco sat in a half empty (or half full, depending on how you look at things) Advanced Potions classroom, with Hermione sniffling up a storm. Already, the wastebasket nearest her was brimming with crumpled, moist tissues. Snape didn't fail to give her several nasty looks as her nose-blowing and coughing and sneezing had interrupted his class one too many times.

Not wanting to be interrupted again, Professor Snape set the class, or at least what was left of it, to some partnered bookwork. Hermione and Draco chose each other without a passing thought of choosing anyone else. Each team was assigned to answer the in depth questions at the end of the chapter they had just read.

Naturally, being the brightest students in the class, Hermione and Draco finished first. To bide their time, they started talking about Winter vacation plans.

"So where will you be, Draco?"

"Dunno..." Draco said, spacing out just a bit. Hermione quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm just going to stay here, I guess. My mum and dad are in California right now, living it up at a Dentists convention. They decided to spend the rest of the month there on holiday. And they didn't even ask for me to come," Hermione said, feeling a little left out at the moment.

"Mmm," Draco murmured.

"What's eating you?" Hermione asked, fed up with his lack of response. She blew her nose softly while he collected his wits.

"I haven't gotten an owl from home lately. Usually mum owls me at the beginning of the month, begging me to come home for the holidays," Draco said, eyes downcast.

"I'm sorry. But you do realize it's only the 4th? Just give it a few more days, I'm sure you'll get an owl!" Hermione assured him, sniffling slightly.

"I hope you're right," Draco said in a near whisper.

* * *

Later that night, as Hermione sat amongst her friends, she looked up and saw a single white owl swooping overhead. This was unusual, as the owl post usually came in the mornings.

'Must be urgent,' Hermione thought as she observed the bird from behind her tissue.

The bird swooped down towards the general direction of the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables.

'Maybe Eric got expelled again,' Hermione thought bitterly as she quickly eyed the back of said boys' head. She quickly looked up just to see the letter drop into the lap of none other than Draco Malfoy. Hermione stuffed a bite of chicken in her mouth as she watched him open the letter. Even from across the room, she felt his eyes scanning across the paper. He crumpled it up in his fist, shoved it in his pocket, and got up from the table. He said a few unheard words to his cronies and left in a big hurry.

Hermione was about to excuse herself to see what was up, as curiosity was now eating away at her, but the boys started up an interesting conversation.

"So, Hermione, we've noticed you've been a little more chummy with Malfoy lately..." Ron said idly.

"He's really not that bad once you get to know him," Hermione said indifferently. She had to keep her cool, because this situation could escalate into a bigger problem REAL fast. She sniffled loudly and took another bite of chicken.

"We're just curious, Hermione. We haven't seen much of you these last few months," Harry said, a tinge of sadness and concern in his voice.

"You guys, honestly. Draco and I have grown closer, and he's really not that bad of a guy. Please don't be jealous. And it's not just him occupying my time. Head duties and all my classes are starting to take their toll," Hermione took the chance to sneeze.

"Bless you," Ginny said. So far, Ginny had been the only one who wasn't grilling Hermione about Draco.

"Thanks," Hermione said automatically. She set her fork down and put a hand to her stomach. She was starting to feel a little queasy. Hermione looked down at her plate and felt her stomach lurch. Chicken just didn't sound appetizing anymore.

"Hey guys," Hermione started, her voice sounding clogged, "I'm gunna go head to the hospital wing. I'm not feeling too good,"

"You want me to accompany you?" Ginny asked, already rising from her seat. Hermione waved her down.

"No thanks, I'll be fine," she said. Hermione felt a small wave of dizziness wash over her as she stood up. She took a swig of pumpkin juice and stumbled out of the Great Hall.

"Feel better soon!" Harry called after her, trying to act like the concerned friend. Hermione waved back, before turning the corner.

She shuffled and stumbled towards the Grand staircase, and rested heavily upon the side stone railing as it moved about. Hermione felt her stomach lurch again and a hot sweat build around her forehead as the staircase settled into place.

Once on the correct floor, Hermione stumbled down the halls, desperately searching for the hospital wing. She finally found the correct door, and nearly fell through it. Her breathing had become ragged and she leaned on the door frame awkwardly, and looked up to see she had interrupted Draco and Madam Pomfrey exchanging a vile. Hermione couldn't ask, for as soon as she tried to take a step forward, she passed out.

* * *

Hermione awoke to white light streaming in through an open window above her, casting strange shadows in her lap. She tried desperately to focus her blurry vision, but was having a hard time doing so.

"Ah, I see you're awake!" she heard the distinct voice of Madam Pomfrey. The old nurse stepped lightly towards Hermione, resting a soft hand upon her forehead.

"You look a lot better, how do you feel?"

"Tired. What happened?"

"You were dreadfully sick dear. You stumbled in as I was administering some sleeping aids to Mister Malfoy, and you passed out. Luckily, Mr. Malfoy darted forward and caught you before you hit the ground. It would have been a rather ugly fall, if I do say so," Madam Pomfrey said, looking at Hermione, and probing her here and there. Once satisfied the old woman bustled away to a cabinet, and pulled out a small vile of purple liquid. She held it up to eye level and peered through it. She nodded in satisfaction and held it out to Hermione.

"Take this, it should make you feel a little better," Madam Pomfrey said, as Hermione guzzled down the liquid. Hermione nearly gagged at the taste, but kept her tongue still. She remembered the old maids harsh words to Harry when he spat out the bone regrowing potion, and she wasn't about to turn the woman against her.

After Hermione downed the liquid, she looked about the room as Madam Pomfrey fixed her rumpled sheets.

"Where is everyone?" Hermione asked.

"If by everyone you mean Draco, he's off playing in a quidditch game. I'm pretty sure Slytherin is playing against Hufflepuff today...Or if you meant everyone as in everyone, they're all watching the game, or recovering in their dormitories," Poppy said, looking at the girl in front of her.

"Wait...why was Draco in here yesterday?" Hermione asked, suddenly recalling the fact that Draco had caught her when she passed out.

"Like I said before, Mr. Malfoy was only in here to get some sleeping agents. He said he was having some recurring nightmares that were keeping him awake. I referred him to Professor Trelawney and gave him a few sleeping pills," Poppy said, as she put Hermione's now empty vile on the counter below a wooden wall-mounted cabinet.

'He's having the dreams again? So am I...' Hermione thought. She shook her head clear and turned to Madam Pomfrey once more.

"So, what is the verdict? Do I have a clean bill of health?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"That potion should have kicked in right quick, so you should be good to go. If you have any problems, Dearie, be sure to come back for a thorough examining!" Madam Pomfrey yelled after Hermione, who had already jumped out of bed and was running down the hall ways.

"Thank you!" Madam Pomfrey heard from a distance. She smiled and shook her head. Kids these days!

Hermione raced down the halls and leaped down the stairs, 3 steps at a time. Her black robes fluttered behind her as she made her way outside. Hermione pushed open the giant oak doors and winced when the unfiltered light stung her eyes. She quickly focused and kept running.

* * *

The gravel crunched loudly under her feet as she sprinted down the path. She could hear the loud cheers of the crowd, and the new announcer (whom Hermione still couldn't name or even put a face to...) announced that the Slytherin had just put another quaffle in, making the total sound something like...thirty to seventy. Slytherin was in the lead!

Hermione dashed through the gates, past an unsuspecting couple snogging at the base of the stairs, and up a random observation tower. Hermione looked around and recognized the likes of Pansy Parkinson and company.

'Ohhhh...goodness....I'm in the Slytherin section!' Hermione thought in panic. Hermione looked around to see if anyone had seen her, but everyone's eyes were fixed upon the game. No one had even noticed that she had come into their section. Hermione decided it was safe, as long as she stuck in the shadows.

Above the roaring of the fans, Draco hovered in the air, watching the carnage below. Summerby hovered below him, glaring up at him, before floating away. Draco rolled his eyes. He hated when 'nice' people tried to look evil. He looked down once more and winced when he saw Crabbe nail a Hufflepuff chaser in the arm, nearly knocking her off the broom.

The score was already seventy-thirty, with Slytherin obviously in the lead. But the Hufflepuffs weren't going to give up, not today!

Draco looked around, squinting ever so slightly when he saw a glint of gold towards the Slytherin section. He raised a pale hand up to shield his delicate seeking eyes, to further investigate the gold glint. He focused as hard as he could, and saw a golden time turner glaring back at him. But the only person he knew that had a time turner was...

Hermione looked up and saw Draco staring in her direction, shielding his eyes. She could see that his face was lit up by an awkward light, and she immediately looked around to find the offending person. No one was 'glowing' or anything, until she looked down at her chest. The time turner (which was now just used as a piece of jewelry, as Prof. McGonagall had disabled it years ago) flashed in the sunlight. Hermione gasped and shoved it down her shirt.

'So I was right. But what is Granger doing in the Slytherin section? Shouldn't she be in the hospital?' Draco thought to himself, still keeping his eyes on his house section.

"Oi! Malfoy! Watch it!" Blaise yelled suddenly. Draco snapped to attention and leaned forward, narrowly dodging a bludger headed for his head. He looked around frantically for who might have hit it his way, but the Hufflepuff beaters were busy harassing one of his teammates.

Draco flew a bit higher, and started looking around for the snitch. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an all too familiar white and gold movement. His eyes snapped to attention.

'There! By the center ring!' Draco's mind cried. Draco turned his broom and sped up, nearly nose-diving the goal area at break-neck speed. The Hufflepuff seeker followed suit, but was still a good 20 feet away.

Blaise looked up from his post in front of the goal. Draco was hurtling towards him with the Hufflepuff seeker close on his heels. They were 100 feet away and getting closer.

"What're you doing, mate?!" Blaise called out fearfully. 50 feet and closing.

"DUCK!" Draco shouted. Blaise just barely got out of the way as Draco hurtled by overhead, heading towards the snitch.

The snitch took one of it's tell-tale turns and sped to the ground, where it hovered a few feet above the turf. Draco turned and sped down towards it. Draco reached out his hand, his fingers itching to hold the snitch. The snitch faked right and went left, and Draco just barely turned in time. He grabbed the snitch and fell off his broom.

"Oh! And a fall worthy of Harry Potter himself from Slytherin's own Draco Malfoy! Slytherin wins!" The announcer yelled out. The crowd erupted in applause and screaming.

* * *

Draco lay on the ground, the snitch still held tight in his firm grip. He groaned. His shoulder was surely dislocated, but he wasn't really concentrating on that. The rush was gone, the pain was kicking in, and all he had his mind set on was Hermione and what she was doing in his house section, when her own house and friends were only a tower away.

"Draco! Draco! You alright there mate? Nasty fall you took," Blaise said, as he came jogging up. Draco hauled himself up on his left arm, his left arm being engulfed in white hot heated pain.

"What happened to your arm?" Blaise asked, holding a hand out to Draco, who took it. It took all of Blaises' strength to pull Draco to his feet.

"I think I dislocated it," Draco breathed, wincing in pain.

"Oh, let me go get Madam Pomfrey or someone," Blaise said, starting to turn to go get help.

"No! Just...give me a sec," Draco said. He took a deep breath, and snapped his shoulder back into place. Draco cried out in pain, and hunched forward.

"What the bloody hell did you just do?!" Blaise yelled, bending forward a touching his friend on the back. Draco looked up with one eye, grinning.

"Fixing the problem," Draco said, righting himself and flexing and rotating his arm. Blaise put a hand to his head in defeat and just laughed.

"You're bloody mad, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know," Draco said.

"Come on, let's go head into the showers,"

"Sounds good to me," Draco said, wiping the sheen of sweat off his forehead with his sleeves as he and his friend walked side by side, broom in hand, towards the locker rooms.

Draco walked out of the locker room an hour later, the last to leave. He had taken his time in the sauna, trying to relax his tense shoulder muscles. He wore his regular black slacks and belt, with a white muscle tee gracing his upper half. The rest of his clothes hung on his arm. His wet hair clung to his forehead as he stepped out past the front gates.

"Hello, Draco," a voice said from behind him. Draco turned.

"You..." he said softly.

* * *

**Twilight zone music Haha, don't kill me. I'll update soon! Like i said, I gots lots of inspiration ;) I'll check back a bit later! Byeeee!  
  
English-Foxlette**


	11. Changes and Kisses

**Told you I'd update soon ;)**

**Chapter 10**

**[Previously]**

Draco walked out of the locker room an hour later, the last to leave. He had taken his time in the sauna, trying to relax his tense shoulder muscles. He wore his regular black slacks and belt, with a white muscle tee gracing his upper half. The rest of his clothes hung on his arm. His wet hair clung to his forehead as he stepped out past the front gates.

"Hello, Draco," a voice said from behind him. Draco turned.

"You..." he said softly.

**[End]**

"I haven't seen you around lately," Pansy said, stepping out of the shadows, sticking a bright red lollipop into her mouth and licking it seductively.

"I've been busy," Draco said defensively.

"Busy shagging, Granger?" Pansy said.

"No. True, I have been around her more often, but that's because of Head business, and you know what, she's really not that bad of a person!"

"I thought I'd never see the day; Draco Malfoy, Pureblood, befriending mudblood Hermione Granger. I can't wait to tell your father," Pansy said, sneering. The lollipop glistened wetly in the sunlight.

"Well the joke's on you Parkinson, Father is in Azkaban, and he's about to be executed," Draco said coldly.

This bit of information caught Pansy off guard.

"What?" Pansy sputtered.

"Oh yes, he was finally caught after they found solid evidence of him working for the Dark Lord," Draco said, his tone getting more bitter with each word he spoke.

"Well then, I'll just have to tell Narcissa. Poor dear, it'll break her heart," Pansy said, feigning sadness.

"Yeah right. Do you think my mother really cares? She's just been relieved of the burden of my father. She's probably off at one of our family chateus in France, living it up and celebrating. Even if she did know I liked a muggle, she'd at least accept my choice," Draco spat, as he stormed off. Pansy grabbed his arm as he walked away.

"Why don't you love me any more? You used to make love to me nearly every night. What happened? What happened to you, Draco. What happened to us?" Pansy said in a pleading voice.

"People change," Draco said simply before entering the castle, leaving a very heart broken and angry Pansy Parkinson outside.

* * *

Dinner came, and a few night owls brought in the Evening post, and a few straggling birds that had managed to miss the morning mail drop. Hedwig dropped a copy of the Evening Post in Harry's lap, while a red barn owl dropped a brown square package in Hermione's lap. Hermione recognized the owl as her parents' owl. They had adopted it in order to keep in touch with their daughter.

"Whatcha got there, Hermione?" Ron asked, leaning across the table to get a better view at the twine and brown paper covered box.

"Not sure, let me open it," Hermione said, slowly removing the twine, and reading the card.

"Can I open it while you read the card?" Ginny asked impatiently from Hermione's left.

"Sure, go ahead," Hermione said. What was hers was her friends. They all shared everything, so it didn't really bother her much to share everything she received.

_Hermione_

_Hello dearest. Hope this letter finds you well. Your muggle cousin Shelby, Uncle Timothy and Aunt Olivia came to visit recently, and Shelby made you a CD mix. We knew you didn't have your CD player with you, so we took the liberty of sending both to you. We're sure Dumbledore can help you equip it so as not to interfere with the magic going on at the school. Hope to hear from you soon, and don't forge to write a thank you note to Shelby! We hope you remember to floss!_

_Love,_

_Mum and Dad_

_PS: We told Shelby you were staying at a school in America, so you might want to tell her about your 'American school and foster family.' ::Wink wink, nudge nudge::_

Hermione laughed and looked up from the letter. Ginny had already put the headphones on, and put the CD in the player. She pressed the play button several times, before lowering the gigantic headphones.

"It doesn't work!" Ginny said disdainfully.

"I thought it wouldn't. I think I'll go ask Dumbledore how to make it work. You remember Ginny, that no muggle electronic devices work here, right?"

"Of course!" Ginny lied, but smiled none the less.

"I'll be back in a little while. Well...If I don't come back in twenty minutes, you want to snag me a roll guys?" Hermione asked as she gathered her things and stood up. Harry picked up a roll and raised it.

"Got it," Harry confirmed.

"See you later!" Ron said. Hermione waved warmly and exited to room, headed for Dumbledore's office.

* * *

"Licorice wands!" Hermione said to the gargoyle outside of Dumbledore's office. The stone creature nodded and leapt out of the way. The statue of a phoenix swirled upwards, revealing a stone staircase which Hermione stalked up.

Once in the room, Hermione knocked on the door frame.

"Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione said, grabbing his attention.

"Miss Granger! How nice to see you! What can I do for you?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well, I got this CD player from my family back home, and I know muggle devices don't work here so I don't know what to do," Hermione said. Dumbledore nodded and took the CD player out of Hermione's hands.

"Here, take this," Dumbledore said, handing Hermione a boombox. Dumbledore shrugged and smiled.

"It will have to do until I find the time to put a few special charms for your CD player to work,"

"I'm sorry to put you through so much trouble," Hermione said, blushing slightly.

"It's quite alright. Nothing is too good for our Head girl," Dumbledore said with a wink.

"Oh, a few more things before you go. I'm assuming you and Mister Malfoy are planning an event for the entire school to indulge in...And speaking of Mister Malfoy. Keep an eye on him; he's just suffered a rather great loss," Dumbledore said. Hermione shot him a quizzical look, but decided to find out for herself. She hauled the boombox under her arm and went back to her dormitory.

* * *

The common room was empty, as was Draco's room. Hermione frowned.

'Must not be back from dinner yet,' she thought.

"Might as well see what Shelby burned for me," Hermione said aloud as she popped in the CD, entitled 'Hermione's Mix,' and pressed play.

Her ears were filled with the sounds of electric guitars and drums pounding. She rocked her head a bit, and looked at the card from Shelby, which she had yet to open.

_Hey cous-_

_A friend of mine claims this is a CD from the future. Even if she's lying, the songs are pretty darn good. Here's the track list, and be sure to write back telling me how America is!_

_"Automatic Girl" by Lola Ray_

_"Total Eclipse of the Heart Remix" by Nikki French_

_"Somebody Told Me," by The Killers..._

Hermione didn't finish reading the extensive list, as she saw Draco crawl in through the portrait hole. She turned off the boombox and went over to talk to him.

"Hey there," Hermione said softly as Draco made his way over to the couch.

"Hey," Draco said in exasperation, flopping himself down on the Slytherin couch.

"Brilliant performance today. You made an awesome catch," Hermione said, sitting on the edge of the coffee table while Draco snuggled up against a pillow.

"Thanks. But might I inquire as to why you were in the Slytherin section?" Draco said.

"Oh. Well, I had just gotten out of the hospital, and I didn't want to miss any action, so I just climbed the nearest stair case-,"

"And proceeded to blind me with your time turner?"

"Oh, sorry about that,"

"It's fine,"

"I saw you holding your shoulder at the end of the game. You alright?"

"Oh yeah. I dislocated it temporarily. But no worries, I popped it back in myself,"

"Ew! You popped it back in yourself? How does it feel now?" Hermione asked.

"Tense,"

'Just like the rest of you,' Hermione commented to herself in her mind.

"Hmm...Flip over," Hermione said suddenly.

"What? Why?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Just do it!" Hermione commanded. Draco was too tired to get into a yelling match with the Gryffindor now, so he did as he was told. He closed his eyes, but then they snapped open when he felt a hard pressure on his butt. He turned around and saw Hermione sitting on his butt, cracking her knuckles.

"What're you doing?!" Draco demanded

"Calm down, I'm just going to give you a massage," Hermione said impatiently as she worked out the kinks in her hands.

"You don't have to,"

"But I want to," Hermione whispered. Draco barely caught it, and smiled to himself. He closed his eyes in rapture as Hermione started pressing and massaging his muscles. He felt the muscles being stretched out and relaxing a bit, the tenseness in his shoulders and back going away ten-fold.

* * *

"Hey Draco?"

"Yes?" Draco practically purred. Hermione had been massaging him for about twenty minutes already.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did, but sure, go ahead,"

"What was in the letter you got today?" Hermione asked as she ran her hands over the muscles in his neck. They flexed extremely hard at the question.

"Um..."

"Forgive me if I'm being nosey," Hermione said apologetically.

"No, you'd find out sooner or later. Might as well find out from me," Draco sighed. "My father has been sent to Azkaban Fortress, and will be executed within the week,"

"I'm so sorry," Hermione whispered, bending down to hug his back. Draco smiled weakly at the touch.

"Don't be. It's probably the best thing to ever happen to me,"

"I don't know how I know this, but your father beat you as a child, didn't he?"

"How'd you know?"

"I really...don't know either," Hermione said. Draco turned underneath her, so that Hermione was now straddling his waist. He looked up into her eyes. Silver blue eyes met hazel ones.

Hermione looked hard into Draco's eyes. Eyes were the windows to the soul, she was told, and right now, Hermione was getting a very good look. She looked down at his pale, supple lips...

Draco stared into Hermione's eyes. They were soft and vibrant, full of emotions. He looked up at her halfway parted lips...

Simultaneously, never breaking eye contact, the two leaned forward, their lips meeting each other in a very soft and very light kiss.

They separated and looked at each other for a minute. Hermione couldn't even muster up a blush. She finally decided to get off of him, and stood next to him. Draco too stood up, so that now he looked down on her.

"What...was that?" Draco asked, breathily.

"I don't know," Hermione said.

They looked away from each other, and stood there awkwardly for a minute.

"I'm gunna head to bed now," Draco said, breaking the silence.

"Good idea," Hermione mumbled.

"Night,"

"Night,"

* * *

Hermione closed her door and leaned up against it.

'Since when do I start kissing Draco on a somewhat daily basis? We haven't even admitted if we like each other or not,'

"But...do I like Draco?" Hermione said Crookshanks. The cat looked up at her and closed its eyes slowly, purring at the sound of her voice.

Hermione and Draco both readied themselves for bed, and crawled under the sheets. Both fell asleep at a similar time, and both shared the same dream...

**[Dream Sequence]**

Draco and Hermione waited outside Dumbledore's office, in the back of a long line of people.

'They're going to erase our memories,'

'I know...'

'But we won't remember that we love each other!'

'If it was meant to be, we'll find a way to love each other again. Somehow,'

'Miss Granger! You can come in now!'

Hermione and Draco shared a deep, passionate kiss before Hermione got dragged into the office, a small tear running down her cheek as she waved goodbye to her true love...

**[End Dream Sequence]**

Hermione lurched forward, waking up by the sound of her own ragged breathing.

She stumbled out of bed and ran into Draco's room. He too was awake, and stared at her with wide eyes as she was silhouetted against the door.

"I had another dream,"

* * *

**Hehe, hope you likkkkkkkkke. More updates later. But for now...SLEEP!! Review if you like it! lots of love**

**English-Foxlette**


	12. Automatic Girls and Confessions

**the site was being a buttmunch, so this should have been up hours ago, but o well...here it is! and for your enjoyment, here's a quote from sean biggerstaff (oliver wood)  
Q: Do you "smoke" your Twizzlers?  
A: What the hell is a Twizzler? I don't listen to hip hop.  
  
Maybe I'm just weird, but I find that funny. O well: here's chapter 11!**

**Chapter 11**

**[Previously]**

Hermione lurched forward, waking up by the sound of her own ragged breathing.

She stumbled out of bed and ran into Draco's room. He too was awake, and stared at her with wide eyes as she was silhouetted against the door.

"I had another dream,"

**[End]**

"So did I," Draco said.

"What was yours about?" Hermione questioned as she sat at the edge of his bed. Draco sat up some more and shrugged off the sheets.

"We were outside Dumbledore's office, and we were about to get our memories erased..." Draco said. He didn't say anything about the conversation they had in the dream, deciding that might reveal too much.

"Same here, but in mine...we kissed at the end," Hermione said. She too left out the conversation.

'I don't want him to think I'm secretly pining after him or something,'

'Even though you just might be,' her inner voice replied.

'You have the worst timing you know that?'

'Eh, its part of the job description,'

"There's something weird going on here. I've heard of sharing one dream, but more than like, three? That's too much of a coincidence," Draco said.

"You're right. We should go talk to Dumbledore or another professor about this," Hermione decided. Draco just stared at her.

'Why, he might have been the cause of this...' he thought.

Just then, Hermione remembered what Dumbledore had said yesterday.

"Oh yeah! I just remembered, remember how we were talking a few months ago about the dance? Well, let's have it on Valentine's day! And let's make it a masquerade," Hermione said cheerfully, almost completely forgetting the dream already.

Draco groaned.

'Valentine's day means a date, and I do NOT want to go with Parkinson again,'

'Ask Hermione!' the little voice chimed in.

'Do you really think she'd say yes?'

'The worst thing she can do is say no'

"Oh come on, we both knew we couldn't avoid the dance forever. And quidditch season has already started. Most people will be gone for Christmas, so might as well have it on Valentine's day!"

"Fine, fine. But you sure a masquerade?"

"Yeah! It'd be really fun! We could put some masking spells so no one would know who you are unless you reveal yourself! Let's see...if my calculations are correct, Valentine's day lands on a Saturday, so that'll be perfect! Everyone can get their costumes in Hogsmeade that weekend,"

"It still better be 6th and 7th years only," Draco growled as he started pulling clothing articles out of his drawer while Hermione looked around his room and rambled on and on.

"Don't worry, it will be!"

* * *

"I'm sorry, Miss Granger, but I have to put our foot down on this one. Unless you want to plan a separate dance for first through 5th year students, we must insist that it be an all year dance," Professor McGonagall said seriously.

Hermione sighed and turned to Draco, who merely shrugged.

"Alright, an all year dance it'll be. Oh yes, Draco and I are thinking of making it a masquerade," Hermione said, cheering up at the idea.

"Another one?" McGonagall questioned, then her eyes grew wide and she looked around nervously. Hermione furrowed her brows.

"What are you talking about? We've never had a masquerade here," Hermione said.

"Yeah, unless it was before our time," Draco muttered.

"Yes, right. We had a masquerade a few years before you two came," McGonagall said. Hermione didn't like this. Her favorite teacher was standing in front of her, looking nervous and sputtering, which was quite strange for she usually spoke eloquently and thought about what she said before she said it.

"Alright then. Draco and I will continue to plan it out. We'll come back if we need any help," Hermione said quickly, pulling Draco out by the arm.

"Hey, hey! You can let go now!" Draco yelled when they were back out in the hallway, outside the empty Transfiguration classroom.

Hermione let go and quickly walked down the hall.

"Oi! Where are you going?"

"Library. We need to do some research,"

"Oh O-Hey! 'We' need to do some research? For what?" Draco whined. He didn't want to do any research his grade didn't depend on. Hermione turned around and gave him a nasty glare. She snatched his hand and dragged him behind her into the library.

* * *

Hermione took a deep breath, and put on her most brilliant smile as she approached the desk of the old librarian.

"Good morning Madam Pince," Hermione greeted.

"Good morning Miss Granger. Mister Malfoy. What can I help you two with?"

"What can you tell us about the Head Boys and Girls from the past. Like, since when have we had an annual school function?"

"Oh. Hmm. I can give you some of the school records. Although, we've only had Head-planned functions for about...13 years," Madam Pince said as she sifted through her drawers, flipping through a bunch of manila folders.

"Ahah! Here it is!" Madam Pince said in triumph as she handed the large folder to Hermione.

"Please return it as soon as your done, not like I have to tell you twice, Miss Granger," Madam Pince added with a wink. Draco rolled his eyes and silently followed Hermione out of the library and up into their tower.

Hermione slammed the folder on the table and sat down on a chair, sighing heavily. Draco sat down across from her, keeping to himself. She looked over and saw the boombox. She leaned over and pressed play. She could hear the disc skipping to life, and soon rock music started pulsing out of the speakers.

_Shrink wrap your kiss in plastic love  
Make my mind up when you return  
I don't know what has happened to me these days  
But it feels like love in the strangest ways_

_How much have you learned uh-oh  
How much have yo-ou learned u-uh-oh  
Don't fear cause when you return I'll be here  
Waiting by your side, it doesn't matter dear_

Hermione started nodding her head lightly as she opened the folder and passed half of it to Draco.

"What are we looking for?"

"Any records of any masquerades,"

"You're taking this way too seriously,"

"Shut up," Hermione snapped back at him.

_This is end of the world so it seems  
I've got automatic love for automatic girl  
This is the world of the end that I see  
I've got automatic guns for automatic boys  
Automatic toys for automatic girls  
Everything keeps the right melody  
I've got a couple of killing machines_

_(Automatic girl, automatic girl)_

_Lick my lips just to hear the sound  
Trash my room when you're not around  
I don't know what has happened to me these days  
But it feels like love in the strangest ways_

Draco's ears perked up at the last stanza. He looked up and eyed Granger, who was currently scanning a thick packet titled '1997.' Did she know?

_How much have we learned uh-oh  
How much have we-e learned u-uh-oh  
Don't fear cause when you return I'll be here  
Waiting by your side, it doesn't matter dear_

_This is end of the world so it seems  
I've got automatic love for automatic girl  
This is the world of the end that I see  
I've got automatic guns for automatic boys  
Automatic toys for automatic girls  
Everything keeps the right melody  
I've got a couple of killing machines  
I have.._

(Automatic girls, automatic girls, automatic girl.... automatic!)

Draco scanned over the page he was reading, he noticed he was tapping his finger in time to the music. He stifled back a snort. Muggle music wasn't that bad. Or...it won't be that bad in the future...

_This is the end  
This is the end  
This is the end of the world so it seems  
I've got automatic love for automatic girl  
This is the world of the end that I see  
I've got automatic guns for automatic boys  
Automatic toys for automatic girls  
Everything keeps the right melody  
We've got a couple of killing machines_

_Automatic guns for automatic boys  
Automatic toys for automatic girls  
Everything keeps the right melody  
Gotta a couple of killing machines  
Couple of killin machines  
Yeah, yeah_

Hermione scanned down the last page of 1987 just as the song ended. The CD clicked, and a smooth techno beat started up. But Hermione slammed her finger down on the power button, and looked up frantically at Draco.

"Did you find anything?" she asked hurriedly.

"No..." Draco said. He was getting a little freaked out by the look in Hermione's eyes.

"I have a hunch...Draco. I think our memories have been erased,"

"What are you talking about?"

"The dreams! The dances! McGonagall said "again" when I proposed the masquerade idea. The records don't show any record of there ever being a masquerade held at this school! And the dreams! It is highly illogical for two people to have the same dream the same night three times in a row!"

"Calm down, there must be a logical explanation for all of this," Draco said. He winced and added, "Let's go talk to Dumbledore,"

Draco had never thought too highly of Dumbledore, mainly because he favored those damn Gryffindors so much. Whatever the reason was, Draco didn't like spending any unnecessary time with the bearded man.

Hermione nodded and Draco led Hermione out of the room, his arm around her shoulders.

* * *

"Professor Dumbledore?"

"Ah, Miss Granger! Here to pick up your CD player?"

"Umm...actually Professor, we came here to ask you a few questions,"

"Alright. Have a seat," Dumbledore said, motioning to the two leather armchairs in front of him. Hermione and Draco seated themselves.

"Now, what did you want to ask me?"

"This might sound a little bit crazy...but..." Hermione squeaked out.

"Have you erased our memories?" Draco asked, trying to get to the point as soon as possible. The old man looked unfazed.

"What makes you ask that?"

"Well, Draco and I have found that have had the same dreams nearly the whole school year thus far. Also, when I proposed that the Valentine's Day dance be a masquerade, Professor McGonagall said 'again', as if there had been a masquerade before. But that's not true, as Draco and I went to the library and looked up all the years that had the Head's had planned. Not one dance had been a masquerade," Hermione said.

Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon spectacles and sighed, and then chuckled for a second. Hermione and Draco looked at each other then back to Dumbledore.

"I knew I wouldn't be able to keep this hidden long. But you must understand that I did it to protect you,"

"From what?" Draco asked.

"You see, at the end of your 6th year, Lord Voldemort found a way to take over Harry's body. He in turn used it to find you, Hermione, and try to kill you. But back then, you and Draco were in love with each other. Draco came to your rescue, and as punishment, was hit with the Cruciatus Curse for quite a while. You nearly died that night, Mister Malfoy. You almost died saving Hermione. Luckily I found you. But since Voldemort had such a strong hold over Harry, I had no choice but to perform the same Cruciatus Curse on Harry. He was hospitalized, but have you not noticed that Voldemort hasn't bothered Harry since?"

"I still don't see why the bloody hell you erased our memories!"

"We couldn't let it get out that Voldemort had taken over a student and tried to kill other students, not to mention, Mister Malfoy, the psychological damage you, Miss Granger, and Mister Potter suffered in the ordeal,"

"So you erased our memories, our love, to keep the perfect image of the school?" Draco spat, pounding his fists on the table.

"Sit down, Mister Malfoy," Dumbledore said as a statement more than a command. Draco took a few deep breaths and plopped himself back down on the cushion of the chair.

"I understand this probably came as a shock to both of you, but I must insist that you both keep quiet about it. If you want or need to talk about it, consult each other, or come find me. Mister Malfoy, I'll let you take Friday off tomorrow, to do what you need to do," Dumbledore said mysteriously. Draco huffed and left the room. Hermione got up to follow suit.

"Miss Granger, I too, am giving you the day off. Mister Malfoy might need you," Dumbledore said calmly. Hermione nodded and set out for her room.

* * *

**Yup, there's that chapter. Not much of cliffie, so please, no death threats ;) **

**Btw- the song is "Automatic Girl" by Lola Ray.**


	13. Azkaban Fortress and the Dementors Kiss

**Sorry it took 'so long' to update. I had to write some thank you notes (my birthday was on the second) and there's an intriguing shark movie on animal planet (so far, bout 5-6 ppl are dead, so its getting close to the climax/end of the story) Hehe, like you care ::angelic face:: but yeah. This chapter in particular ends a lil sadly, but hey, if it wasnt for ashley (our lil Phyre princess) it would have ended tonight. So everyone give thanks to her! And herrrrrrrrrrrrrres the next chappie!**

**Chapter 12**

**[Previously]**

"I understand this probably came as a shock to both of you, but I must insist that you both keep quiet about it. If you want or need to talk about it, consult each other, or come find me. Mister Malfoy, I'll let you take Friday off tomorrow, to do what you need to do," Dumbledore said mysteriously. Draco huffed and left the room. Hermione got up to follow suit.

"Miss Granger, I too, am giving you the day off. Mister Malfoy might need you," Dumbledore said calmly. Hermione nodded and set out for her room.

**[End]**

Draco was silent for the rest of the day. He made no effort whatsoever to answer any questions in any of his classes, and he declined to gloat in front of everyone when he turned in his muggle living room.

In potions, Hermione kept looking over at Draco, who was keeping his eyes on his work. Not once did he look up. Not once did he say anything. Hermione was beginning to get worried.

The afternoon crawled by slowly, with Hermione correcting Ginny's Transfiguration essay while Harry and Ron were found playing wizards chess. Hermione took her time, being extra scrupulous. Ginny was frowning at all the red ink that was starting to appear on her paper.

"Thanks for all the help, Hermione. But I was just wondering, you got something on your mind?" Ginny asked quietly once she took back her essay, looking a bit defeated.

"What? Oh, I'm fine..."

"You don't sound like you're fine. You can trust me, Hermione. Don't be afraid to tell me anything," Ginny prompted, taking Hermione to the far side of the study area, where no one could hear their conversation.

'I wish I could tell you everything, Ginny, but I can't,' Hermione thought sadly.

"I'm just worried,"

"About what? Malfoy?"

"Yeah..."

"Why? What's going on? Has he done something to you? Did something happen?" Ginny asked in concern.

"No. Something happened to him. His father...he's been sent to Azkaban,"

"I don't understand, 'Mione. Isn't that a good thing?"

"He's going to be executed," Hermione said, casting her eyes down to the floor. Ginny put her hand to her mouth to stifle her silent gasp.

"Draco is happy about it, but now...he doesn't have anyone to go home too. He said he doesn't know where his mum is either. I'm just a bit concerned, not to mention some new things popped up to make his burden twice as heavy...but I can't tell you about that,"

"I understand," Ginny said.

"Look, if you ever need me, day or night, you know where to find me," Ginny said as she pulled her older friend into a warm embrace.

"Thank you, Ginny," Hermione whispered.

"What, so only Ginny gets hugs now?" a masculine voice from Hermione's right said loudly. Hermione looked up and her eyes met a pair of bright blue eyes, and a pair of bright green eyes. Harry and Ron stood over the girls, grinning. Hermione giggled and launched herself into Harry's arms.

"I love you guys," Hermione said, as she then embraced Ron.

"We love you, too, Hermione," Harry said.

"I love you, too, Hermione, but can we puh-lease go get some dinner? I'm starving!" Ron said, holding his stomach in pain.

Hermione laughed again.

"Sure thing, Ron," Hermione said.

* * *

Down at the dinner table, the friends talked animatedly to each other.

"So we're thinking about planning a Valentine's Day dance," Hermione said as she cut up some bites of Beef Wellington.

"A Valentine's Day dance? How romantic!" Ginny cooed as she picked up a strawberry tart and placed it on her plate. Harry rolled his eyes at Ron who, as usual, was wolfing down his food.

"Yeah. I would tell you what the theme of the dance is, but I don't want to spoil the surprise," Hermione said mischieviously.

"Tease," Harry laughed. Hermione stuck her tongue out playfully at the boy.

They talked happily for the remainder of the meal about professional quidditch teams and the upcoming matches. Hermione tuned it out, as she wasn't quite as avid a fan as her mates were.

"Oi, 'Mione!" Ginny whispered suddenly. Hermione turned her gaze to her red-headed friend.

"Where's Draco?" Ginny asked, tossing her thumb over her shoulder. Hermione looked over and noticed a gaping hole that Draco normally filled.

"I don't know. He's probably in our common room," Hermione whispered back.

"You should bring him something," Ginny replied.

"Who, Draco?" Ron said, overhearing their conversation. The girls blushed and tried to look innocent.

"What? What are you talking about, Ron?" Hermione asked, feigning confusion.

"Oh come on, Hermione. We all know you like Malfoy," Harry said matter-of-factly.

"Is it that obvious?"

"No. But we guessed something was up when we saw you two always walking together," Ron said, looking at Hermione with bright blue eyes.

"So...Do you guys accept, or reject him?" Hermione asked, a bit of fear in her voice.

"Well...neither," Ron said.

"He definitely got points for telling us where you were when you needed help, but he's still Malfoy. It'll take a bit of time for him to fully earn our trust," Harry said wisely.

"Oh," was all Hermione could say.

"But yeah. Go ahead and take a plate up to him. He must be hungry," Ginny said, finding an empty plate and beginning to load it with a slab of beef, some potatoes, and other goodies before passing it to Hermione.

"Yeah...We'll see you tomorrow though, right?" Ron said.

"Actually, I'm going to Azkaban with Draco. I'll tell you later, when the time is right," Hermione said mysteriously, as she stood up from the table, plate in hand.

"I'll talk to you guys later, though!" Hermione said over her shoulder.

* * *

Once in the tower, Hermione set her things down on the table and looked around. Draco wasn't in the common room, and the bathroom door was wide open, so he wasn't in there. Hermione turned to Draco's bedroom door, which was shut tight.

Hermione removed her shoes, and padded over to the door, knocking softly.

"Draco? Can I come in?" she asked through the door. She didn't hear a response, so she opened the door. The room was a bit dark, but she could see the unmistakeable silhouette of Draco's sprawled form on the bed. She rummaged in her pockets and pulled out her wand.

"Lumos todo," she said quietly as every light in the room illuminated itself. She could now see Draco was staring up at the canopy of his bed. Hermione set the plate down on his desk and walked over to the bed, sitting at the edge, her handing reaching out and holding his.

"You OK?" Hermione whispered.

"Yeah," Draco sighed.

"I brought you some dinner,"

"Thanks,"

Hermione frowned and turned to lay on the bed next to him.

"You're not OK," she said as she placed a hand across his stomach. He put his hands behind his head and sighed again.

"I've just been thinking,"

"About what?"

"A lot of things,"

"Like what?" Hermione was getting tired of beating around the bush.

"Just the fact that after tomorrow morning, I'll be fatherless. And like I said, I'll be here for Christmas by my lonesome self, since I still haven't received an owl from mother. I doubt she's even going to the execution tomorrow..." Draco said sadly.

"It's alright. I'll be staying here over winter break as well. I'll take care of you," Hermione said the last part in a whisper, and hugged his side. Just as she did so, Draco's stomach flipped about and grumbled loudly.

"So...how bout that food!" Draco said, suddenly enthusiastic. Hermione laughed and got up the get the plate.

* * *

The next morning, Hermione, Draco, and a select few of others gathered around an open area on the top of one of the towers of Azkaban. Hermione was wearing a conservative black dress, with a black shawl and hat with a gauzy eyeshield. Draco wore black dress slacks, and a black longsleeve button down shirt. He had on some black shades to shield his eyes from the sun that shone brightly through the clouds in patches.

The small crowd quieted when Lucius was led up the tower by a burly wizard in a black hood. Lucius looked regal as ever, though his clothing was tattered, and his hands were in cuffs behind his back. He looked around to see who was there, and his eyes came to rest on his son.

Draco stood there, his hands clasped behind his back, his shades glinting in the sun. Hermione was at his side, watching the Dementor glide up the steps. Neither man noticed. They stared at each other in silence. Hermione gripped Draco's side as the Dementor passed by her. Draco wrapped an arm protectively around her waist, but still not breaking eye contact with his father.

Lucius looked at Draco, then at Hermione. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the muggleborn girl. He drew in a breath to say something harsh, but was cut off, as the Dementor began it's kiss. Lucius fell to his knees as his soul was torn from his body. The blue aura was sucked into the Dementor, and Lucius landed on his chest, not moving. His eyes open, but blank and lifeless. Hermione gasped and hid her face in Draco's chest. Draco still didn't move.

10 minutes passed by, and most of the crowd has dispersed. Hermione had walked away, not wanting to linger around the body, but Draco stayed where he was. Once he was sure he was alone, he took off his glasses and held them in his hand. He bent down at his father's side and closed his eyes. A single solitary tear, slid down his face. He opened his eyes, and no more tears fell after that. He stood up, and look down at the man he had called 'Dad' with no emotion in his eyes.

"Goodbye, Father..." he whispered before walking down the stairs to where Hermione was waiting. She looked up at him and smiled a sad, sympathetic smile while the wind blew through her brown curly hair. Draco looked down at her fondly, and stepped down the stairs to join her. Together they walked out of the prison, side by side, with no words said between them. It would have ruined the moment if they had.

* * *

**So there it is! Now...back to my shark movie and the next chapter! If the movie doesn't preoccupy me, I might have the next chap up before bed time! (that's a MAYBE, not a promise, mmk?) Hee hee. Enjoy, and please review and recommend to a friend! Thanks everybody! Lots of huggssssss and kissssssses and all that good lovey dovey stuff to all!  
  
English-Foxlette**


	14. Orbs and Memories Regained

**Sorry it took so long to update, but i've been at a tournament (we did badly -.-) and ants have been attacking my desk and room so blah. If I don't update for a while, just know that i'll be vacuuming up ants, or working on a fic in the making (dunno if i'll post it though...) Well anyways, here's the next chap! Hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Chapter 13**

**[Previously]**

"Goodbye, Father..." he whispered before walking down the stairs to where Hermione was waiting. She looked up at him and smiled a sad, sympathetic smile while the wind blew through her brown curly hair. Draco looked down at her fondly, and stepped down the stairs to join her. Together they walked out of the prison, side by side, with no words said between them. It would have ruined the moment if they did.

**[End]**

Draco and Hermione returned late that night. Hermione was nearly falling asleep on her feet, so she said her goodnights and see you tomorrows, and then headed off to her own room. Draco stayed up and lay on the couch, thinking about what he had seen and what it meant. No father meant no more unreachable ideals, no more pressuring him into being a Death Eater, no more restrictions.

Draco bolted upright, when he felt sleep start to claim him. He looked over at the Grandfather clock that ticked gently next to a bookcase. 11:53. Draco sprang to his feet and took off silently down the stairs.

"Licorice wands!" Draco nearly yelled at the gargoyle. The gargoyle gave him a quick look, then slowly made his way to the side. Draco could be heard muttering all the way up the stairs, something about certain stone creatures being turned into powder.

Draco burst through the doorway, slightly startling the bearded man at the desk.

"Oh! You startled me. Ahem, what can I do for you, Mr. Malfoy, at such late an hour?" Dumbledore asked, hinting at the time.

"Give them back; the memories. Give them back!" Draco demanded, panting slightly as he has sprinted nearly the whole way there.

"Might I ask, why you demand to have your memories back, in the middle of the night?"

"No you may not, but I'll tell you because I'm feeling generous," Draco said bitterly. "First of all, they are my memories, and I have every right to have them. Second of all, why can't I have them back?"

"I admire your strength, Draco. But you must understand. To take a memory; is easy. To give a memory back; is quite difficult. Bringing your memories back to you could kill you. For your senses to be flooded like that, you could retain severe brain damage, that magic and treatments could no cure,"

The words scared Draco, but at the same time, filled him with strength.

"I want my memories back," Draco said finally. Dumbledore looked at the platinum haired youth.

"All of them?"

"All of them," Draco repeated.

"Very well," Dumbledore sighed. He brought out his wand, and from his drawer, a small golden orb.

"Your memories," Dumbledore said wisely, handing the small orb to Draco. Draco held the orb in his hand, and looked at it. Through the glass, Draco could see fleeting glimpses. There was one of himself and Hermione, another of Hermione, one of Harry, the inside of Dumbledore's office, Dumbledore, Fawkes, another of Hermione...

"Are you ready?" Dumbledore asked, interrupting Draco's staring. Draco nodded solemnly as Dumbledore raised his wand.

"Memoriam restituo!" Dumbledore commanded, point at the orb in the boy's hands. Draco turned his attention to the glass in his hand, which started vibrating and shaking wildly, like an animal was trying desperately to break free of its' confines.

The orb shook and rumbled, and finally exploded in a mist of golden glitter. The freefalling glitter turned into misty vines which snaked around Draco before constricting him. Draco cried out as the first few memories were recovered. His knees buckled and he clutched his head with his hands as the second wave of memories washed over him.

The memories flashed before his eyes: The masquerade. The tuxedo. The dress. The dancing. The fainting. Taking care of the enemy. Admissions of love. Kissing Hermione for the first time. Forgetting it all...Draco screamed. It felt like his head was being stabbed repeatedly with tiny needles, pushing into his skin, then pulling painfully out.

The third wave came next: The masquerade. The magical storm. The green house. The watermelon. The spade. The tickling. Draco yelled louder. He was now on the ground, in a near fetal position. He could hear his heart beating in his ears and prayed to any God willing to listen, that the pain ended soon.

What Draco could only assume was one of the last few flashbacks, came slowly, increasing the pain ten-fold. Harry Potter. The cold voice. The Dark Lord. Hermione. Fawkes. The Cruciatus Curse.

Draco was on the ground, his body wracked with pain. Sweat formed on his forehead and he bit his hand to try not to scream.

The last flashback was the most detailed, and time seemed to slow so that it was like a play-by-play. Hermione and Draco were standing outside Dumbledore's office in a line. They were the last two. Hermione's lips were moving, but he couldn't hear what she was saying. Then she turned, but his past self caught her, pulled her around, and kissed her. Hermione smiled and ran off.

Then, just like that, it was over.

Draco started to get up. He felt winded, and sore, and he had a headache that could have brought down a herd of unicorn. His hands bled from where he gripped his palms so hard. His lip trembled, and it too bled freely, from where he tried to stifle his own screams.

"Are you alright?" Dumbledore asked in a concerned voice. Draco trembled for a second, but managed to smirk.

"I'm fine," Draco said. Moving his jaw made his head pulse angrily. He took in a deep breath and forced himself from the ground. He smoothed back his hair with quaking hands, smirked again at Dumbledore, and then left.

Dumbledore stared after Draco. He knew better than to ask the Slytherin how he felt, or what he was thinking. The old wizard shook his head, and sat down, stroking his beard in thought.

"I suppose Miss Granger will want her memories back now too..." Dumbledore mused. Fawkes, who had been silent the whole time Draco got his memories back, squawked loudly.

* * *

Draco stepped through the door, and staggered drunkenly to his room. He collapsed on his bed and sleep quickly overtook him.

The next morning, Draco woke up to the sounds of water running. His headache had subsided and he was feeling much better overall. He walked briskly into the bathroom to see Hermione brushing her teeth. She had some small bags under her eyes, but she still looked cute.

Hermione was aware that Draco had entered the bathroom, but she became fully aware, when said boy came up behind her, put his arms around her waist, and planted a kiss on her neck. Draco smiled at himself in the mirror while Hermione nearly stopped brushing.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked. Draco let go of Hermione and looked at her.

"Oh...sorry," Draco said, before pulling out his own tooth brush.

'She doesn't have her memories back...' Draco thought sadly. He looked over at her. He didn't want her to go through as much pain as he had gone through...

Hermione glanced at Draco from the corner of her eye. The kiss and hug were highly unlike him. Sure they have been getting a lot closer, and sharing some spontaneous kisses that were simply in the moment, but that...That was different. There was emotion in the kiss. Hermione narrowed her eyes and spat out the toothpaste.

'I want my memories back,' Hermione thought angrily. She wiped the minty froth from the corners of her mouth with a wet rag, and then continued to brush her hair. Once Hermione felt fresh enough for the day, she pulled on her robes, and walked into the common room. Draco was tying his shoes, which as usual, looked black and glossy.

"Hey, I have to go talk to Dumbledore. I'll catch up with you later, OK?" Hermione said as she made her way to the portrait hole.

"Wait, I'll go with you. I was on my way down to breakfast anyways," Draco said as he stood up and smoothed out the front of his robes.

"Alright then," Hermione agreed.

Draco accompanied Hermione down the various hallways, and stair cases, nodding respectively to various portraits as they passed.

"So, what do you need to see Dumbledore about?" Draco asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Oh. Uh. I left him borrow something a while ago, and I'm just coming to get it back. Draco...do you really think memories can be erased?"

"No, but they can be taken," Draco said wisely. The two neared the door, and Hermione smiled weakly and waved before she mumbled the password. Draco gave the gargoyle a dirty look as it sprang to the side. He sighed and walked the other way to breakfast.

* * *

Hermione stepped gingerly up the stairs she knew all too well. She knocked on the wooden door and pushed her way in.

"Ah! Good morning Miss Granger? You are well, I trust?"

"Good morning to you too, Headmaster. And yes, I'm well. How are you?" Hermione asked out of courtesy.

"I'm very good. So, what are you doing here this time of morning? You should be at breakfast," Dumbledore commented, looking at Hermione over his half-moon spectacles.

"Oh well. Umm. I don't know how to say this,"

"Take a deep breath, and concentrate on what you want to say. Or you could just ask me later. I'm sure whatever it is, it can wait," Dumbledore said mysteriously.

"No! Headmaster...I want my memories back," Hermione said, looking at her feet. She wrung her hands as she felt his eyes on him.

The bearded man quirked an eyebrow.

"You do?"

"Well...yes! I want to know what I've been missing!"

"Very well," Dumbledore said. He opened the top drawer on his right, and pulled out something which he concealed in his hand. The portraits on the wall all moved around to get a better look, but being sure to stay silent.

"Your memories..." Dumbledore said. He opened his hand, and a very small silver orb was revealed. Dumbledore handed the misty orb to Hermione, who took it silently, her mouth open in anticipation. She was so caught up in the ball of memories in her hand,

The second the orb was dropped in her hand, it started to vibrate. Hermione looked at it in awe as it shook and rumbled and rolled in her hand. Then, the glass burst apart, the shards stopping in mid air and then falling to the ground, where they sunk into the rug and disappeared. The silver mist wound its way around Hermione's form like a snake, resting around her neck and going down her arms.

Hermione started to feel fear grip her throat as paranoia ran through her body. The mist sharpened, and "plunged" into Hermione's palms and closed in on her neck. The mist traveled through her body, making Hermione gasp loudly. She could feel it traveling up her arms, tickling her veins.

But soon the tickling turned into a somewhat sharp pain. Her brain started to feel cold, like she had a brain-freeze, which soon turned into a massive headache. Hermione moaned and gripped her head. She could feel her temples pulsing and she dug her nails into her forehead.

"Make it stop!" Hermione yelled through gritted teeth. Dumbledore just looked on.

Hermione's eyes shot open, her pupils dilated, as visions flashed before her eyes: Draco, Draco, and more Draco. Draco reading a book, Draco smirking at Harry...

"Draco..." Hermione groaned as more flashbacks played before her eyes.

Three more minutes of torturous visions ensued, but ended just as suddenly as it started. Of course, in a last surge, Hermione fell backwards into one of the plush leather chairs.

"Hermione?" Dumbledore asked in concern.

"I...remember..." Hermione said, her eyes fluttering open. She bolted upright in her chair, her eyes now nearly bugging out of her head.

"I remember!" Hermione yelled in triumph as she skipped out of the room happily. Dumbledore shook his head and chortled merrily. The portraits of headmasters and mistresses past all beamed approvingly at the empty doorway.

* * *

**Blah, tell me what you guys think...I don't really like it, but it's how I want to explain it. So yeah, tell me your thoughts in a review. I'll try to post more later, but we'll see...::sigh:: Catch ya'll on the flipside. lotsa love,  
English-Foxlette**


	15. Rats, Cats, and Owls oh my!

**Alright, real quick. The last chap, it was a lot more painful for Draco because he had to relive the Cruciatus Curse, so when he got that memory back, it was like he was reliving it. Hermione didnt get hit by the Curse, so she was spared most of the pain. Keep in mind that getting memories back is still painful so yeah! Here's the next chap, hope yall like it, despite it's short length, hehe...**

**Chapter 14**

**[Previously]**

"I...remember..." Hermione said, her eyes fluttering open. She bolted upright in her chair, her eyes now nearly bugging out of her head.

"I remember!" Hermione yelled in triumph as she skipped out of the room happily. Dumbledore shook his head and chortled merrily. The portraits of headmasters and mistresses past all beamed approvingly at the empty doorway.

**[End]**

Hermione ran into the Great Hall, passing by a group of startled Ravenclaw girls. She ran up behind Harry, and wrapped her arms around him as she kissed him on the cheek. Harry jumped in his seat from the kiss as Hermione did the same to Ron. Ron blushed cherry red from toes to ears, nearly spitting out his pumpkin juice.

"You alright, 'Mione?" Ginny asked as Hermione attempted to squeeze the life out of her.

"I'm just great guys! I've just taken to heart what you guys said the other day about us not spending so much time together, and I just wanted to make it up to you,"

"With kisses and hugs?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Well...yeah!" Hermione said.

"Fine with me!" Ron said. Hermione smiled at him fondly.

"You should probably sit down and eat something, girl, we've all got class in like ten minutes," Ginny warned as she picked up a cornbread muffin and handed it to Hermione.

"Thanks, but I'm really not that hungry," Hermione said, taking a bite out of the muffin.

The minute Hermione finished her muffin, she stood up and gathered her things.

"Come on guys! It's time for transfiguration!" she said cheerily while she beckoned her friends to come. Harry and Ron bent down to pick up their things, and whispered to each other.

"Is it me or is she way too cheery this morning?" Ron asked.

"It's not you. Something's up. Maybe she's starting to get into the Christmas spirit?" Harry whispered back. Ron shrugged.

"You guys coming or what?" Hermione demanded as she stood by , Hermione!" Ron said.

* * *

Together, Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way up to the first floor, where their transfiguration class was held. Professor McGonagall sat behind her desk, waiting patiently for the remaining students to file in. Looking as regal as ever with her small glasses and tight bun, Professor McGonagall sat with her hands folded on top of her desk.

Once each desk was occupied by a student, Professor McGonagall stood up to address the class.

"Good morning students! Today, we will learn how to transfigure your partners into animals. You may choose between a feline, a rat, or an owl. Keep in mind, you will transfigure your partner, show them to me so I may grade the process, and then you shall immediately change them back. Any infringements of the rules, and you'll have Dumbledore to speak to," McGonagall said in a threatening voice.

"Now, for today only, I'll let you choose your partners," McGonagall paused for the raucous hoots and 'Yeahs!' that followed.

"Just remember what I said about the rules!" She yelled as feet stamped around, and desks squeaked as everyone ran to find a partner.

Hermione looked over to her left and saw Ron and Harry giving her apologetic looks before they turned back to talking about their transformations. Hermione turned semi-frantically to her other side, and nearly fell over.

"Luna?!" Hermione yelled, as said girl was only about a foot away from her.

"Want to be partners?"

"Heh. Sure!" Hermione said.

"So what do you want to be? An owl, a cat, or a rat?" Luna said, sitting down Hermione.

"Hmm...Let me think about it. What do you want to be?"

"An owl," Luna said definitely.

"Alright, now let's see, the incantation...transfigure owulrus!" Hermione shouted. A puff of smoke exploded around Luna, and when it cleared, a tiny black owl sat perched on the edge of the desk. It hooted happily and Hermione jumped up and down clapping. Luna, as an owl, flapped her wings, and started to take off around the room. Everyone looked up, 'oohing' and 'ahhing'.

"Nicely done, Miss Granger!" Hermione heard from over her shoulder. "You may turn her back,"

Hermione smiled widely at her favorite professor and nodded furiously. After Luna flew around the room a few more times, she settled back on the desk. Hermione muttered the incantation, and once again, a cloud of grey smoke engulfed the Ravenclaw girl...err...owl.

The smoke cleared and Luna stood there, grinning from ear to ear.

"That was...fantastic!" Luna said, bursting with happiness.

"Really?"

"Yeah! I felt so free, just flying around the room. I did feel a small urge to eat a little red rat though," Luna said, blushing at her last comment.

"Red rat? Haha, must be Ronald," Hermione giggled. Both girls turned to see an auburn furred rat scuttling about on Harry and Ron's desk. Harry was standing there, holding his sides from laughing, while Ron the rat wobbled along, nibbling on the edge of some parchment. Luna and Hermione giggled in unison as they turned back to their own work.

"So have you decided yet? Rat, owl, or cat? I'd recommend being an owl," Luna commented. Hermione put her hand to her chin and looked up at the ceiling, where a few ruffled looking owls flew about, occasionally knocking into one another.

"A cat," Hermione decided.

"Alright, sit on the edge of the desk now," Luna commanded as Hermione did just that.

"Take a deep breath...Transfiguro Felinus!" Luna shouted, pointing her wand at Hermione. A cloud of black smoke billowed around Hermione, and she felt a strange twist. Her skin started to itch, but she couldn't see where her arms were! She felt a pull on her ears and cheeks, and a pinch above her bottom.

The smoke cleared, and she looked up at Luna, who seemed huge all of a sudden. Luna's eyes danced with light and happiness as she struggled to contain herself.

"Hermione! You're so...cute!" Luna squeeled. Hermione looked fearfully as a giant hand was brought down to come to stroke her back. Hermione closed her eyes.

'Wow, the feels really good. I'll have to pet Crookshanks more often,' Hermione vowed.

"Meow!" Hermione said, then her eyes widened. She couldn't speak English! Luna cooed louder, and Hermione frowned as much as her whiskered mouth would let her. She looked around, and saw Ron scurrying about on the desk.

Just watching the little red creature stirred something deep inside Hermione. Something...primal.

Hermione leapt across the tables, and paused a desk away from Ron and Harry's.

"Hermione?" Harry asked, reaching down to pet the cat. Hermione leaned in to Harry's hand, almost forgetting about Ron for a minute. But a small squeak brought Hermione back to reality. Her eyes narrowed, and she got low to the table, padding slowly over to the rat. Hermione sniffed the air. As a human she could never even hope to identify it, but as a cat it was all too obvious, the smell that permeated through the air and into her flaring nostrils. Fear.

With a hiss and a leap, Hermione lunged for Ron, batting him off the edge of the table.

"Hermione! No!" she could hear Harry yell.

"Hermione! Get back here! Stop!" Luna's voice screamed. Students around the class grew silent as they shuffled to see what was going on.

Hermione jumped down from the table top, landing squarely over Ron, who visibly trembled in her wake.

"Transfiguro regulare!" two voices were heard shouting. Once again, smoke permeated around them, and when it cleared, Hermione found herself pinning a very scared looking Ron to the ground.

"I'm so sorry, Ron!" Hermione sputtered in embarrassment, collapsing onto him so that she was hugging him tightly.

"Can I...get up?" Ron asked slowly.

"Oh yea...But, I'm really sorry about that Ron. I didn't mean to attack you,"

"It's ok, I know you didn't mean to," Ron said, pulling Hermione in for a hug. They separated when they heard a throat clear.

"Despite your attack on Mister Weasley," McGonagall started out solemnly, "That was an excellent transfiguration. Good job Miss Lovegood, and to you as well Mister Potter,"

Hermione sighed happily and smiled at Luna, who returned the grin.

A few minutes passed with the two girls just watching the rest of the class finishing up. They winced together when they saw the Neville turned his partner into a human with an owl head. Luna shuddered and turned to Hermione.

"So what was it like, being a cat I mean?"

"It was a rush. Being pet feels like heaven! And I felt really comfortable, because of the fur. The transformation was a bit strange, though," Hermione commented. Luna nodded knowingly.

"Alright, class dismissed!" McGonagall shouted in distress as she tried to help Neville's poor partner. Hermione shook her head.

* * *

"Oi! 'Mione! You going to lunch?" Harry asked. Hermione was heading the opposite direction.

"I'll be there in a little while, I just need to get a few things from my room," Hermione lied. Ron and Harry nodded, then headed down to the Great Hall.

Hermione saw a figure approaching the portrait ahead of her. She immediately recognized the slender frame of Draco, and she threw herself into the shadows. She inched up the wall, making sure not to be seen. She heard Draco murmur the password, and she snuck in behind him.

Draco was walking straight ahead when he heard a shrill voice shriek his name, with the solid sound of the portrait closing behind. He spun around, and found himself with an armful of Granger. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Draco supported her butt and lower back, and his knees buckled slightly under their combined weight.

Their faces were only a few inches apart and a blush crept across both their faces.

"I'm back," Hermione whispered before closing her eyes and kissing him soundly.

* * *

**Hehe, okies there's the latest chap. I'll update later, if I have time. But for now, off to soccer. Later guys, and be sure to review if you liked it!! lotsa love**

**English-Foxlette**


	16. Cups, Rings, and Emotional Things

**Hey everyone. Sorry it took so long to update. I've been a busy girl, and ending a fic is harrrrrrrd (Especially for the likes of me!) But yeah, just to make it clear...this is the END! no sequels, no begging for sequels...why? Cus who writes a sequel to a sequel? true...a trilogy...however I want to start taking on a few new fic challenges, like my first Oliver wood fic, so you guys can keep an eye out for that! And if you want a really good fic, look out for ILoveMantaRays. She's a good friend of mine and has done some terrific writing. Alright, thanks to everyone who has reviewed my story! I'll give you all shout outz at the end so don't worry your pretty lil' heads about that. Lots of love to everyone!  
  
English-Foxlette**

**Chapter 15**

**[Previously]**

Their faces were only a few inches apart and a blush crept across both their faces.

"I'm back," Hermione whispered before closing her eyes and kissing him soundly.

**[End]**

Months had passed by like seconds. Hermione and Draco had become a couple, Harry and Ginny were starting to date, and poor Ronald was left single mingle.

Christmas break was spent at Hogwarts for Hermione and Draco, who took daily walks around the snow-blanketed grounds. They were nearly inseparable the whole time, and when Christmas day rolled around, Draco surprised Hermione with a carriage ride led by two twin thestrals. To top off the romantic dinner that followed, Draco presented Hermione with an emerald encrusted promise ring. Hermione was ecstatic.

**[Flashback]**

_Christmas Day:_

"Morning, 'Mione," Draco whispered as he kissed Hermione's cheek. Hermione's eyes fluttered open, and settled on Draco who was leaning over her. She smiled up at him and stroked his arm.

"Morning," Hermione whispered back.

"It's Christmas," Draco whispered. The sheets rustled under Hermione's body as she sat up and looked around. The room – Their room – was decorated in seasonal colors, with two stockings hanging on the fire place, swaying lightly from the blaze that emanated from the fire that was always lit.

"Happy Christmas," Hermione whispered, kissing Draco soundly on the lips.

"Happy Christmas," Draco whispered back, grinning like a mad man after the kiss ended.

"What time is it?" Hermione asked.

"Noon," Draco answered. Hermione wasn't surprised at all. They had stayed up most of the night talking, and had gone to sleep really early in the morning. Hermione's stomach grumbled, and both of them laughed. Draco bent down and kissed her forehead, smiling into the kiss.

"I've already got breakfast ready for us," Draco said. He smiled and led Hermione out into the common room. On the large oak table that was usually covered with books, a huge assortment of foods lay waiting to be eaten. Behind them, several wrapped boxes lay waiting underneath a modest pine tree. Hermione turned her attention back to the food, tempting herself not to look at the presents.

"It looks delectable!" Hermione commented.

"Dig in," Draco said as he pulled out a seat for Hermione then took a seat himself. He picked up a pomegranate and bit into it, the red juice staining his lips. Hermione giggled and started cutting up some Belgian waffles. Hermione ate a few bites of waffle while Draco savored the taste of some freshly squeezed orange juice. Hermione munched quietly on some waffle bites as Draco took another bite out of the pomegranate. The red juice trickled down his lips, and spilled onto his chin.

Hermione set her fork down loudly. Draco looked up and quirked an eyebrow. Hermione got up from her seat and walked around the table. She set one fist down on the table and looked at Draco angrily.

"Look at you! You're a mess! Do I really need to help you clean yourself up?" Hermione asked impatiently. Draco was startled a bit by her tone, but managed to nod meekly. Hermione smirked a Malfoy-like smirk, and leaned in a kissed him. As the kiss deepened, Draco brought Hermione to sit on his lap.

They split apart on habit when the heard a tapping on the stained glass window. Hermione wiped her wet lips with the back of her hand and opened the window. Pigwidgeon sat on the windowsill, small flecks of snow contrasting against her dark feathers.

Hermione untied the letter from her foot and the tiny owl flew in and landed next to a pastry which it began to peck apart. Draco looked on in disgust, vowing to remember not to eat that later.

"Aww. It's a letter from Ron, Harry, and Ginny! They send their best wishes for Christmas and they hope we...Oh dear," Hermione said, refusing to say the last part of the letter aloud. Hermione blushed bright red as Draco peered over her shoulder in curiosity.

"They hope we won't forget to use protection?" Draco asked incredulously. The pair looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Hermione quickly scribbled a letter and sent Pigwidgeon back to the Burrows. They spent the rest of the day walking in the snow and opening presents. Then Draco proposed the idea that they go to Hogsmeade, for he had reserved a small table for them in a nice little bistro. Hermione readily agreed.

Hermione's attire for the evening was quite elegant. She wore a cream strapless dress, with black tubing, and a scalloped edge at the bottom. She accompanied the dress with black high heels, a black handbag, and simple makeup. This was surprising, because she never really was one for makeup. Draco, meanwhile, sported a classic black tuxedo. His shoes shone in perfection, and the chain of a gold pocket watch hung regally out of his pocket.

Once the pair were outside, Hermione gasped a took a step back. Before her was a big, open-air carriage, with black leather benches, and a plaid lap blanket sat on one of the benches. What caught Hermione off the most was that it was led by large thestrals. Hermione hugged and thanked Draco, and then Draco led her up into the carriage. Once they were both situated on the seat, Draco motioned for the little driver to start their evening ride.

The bistro was small and intimate, with a waiter for each table. The dinner was excellent; Hermione had a filet mignon with garlic mashed potatoes, while Draco had Duck al'orange with white rice. For dessert, they shared a few dark chocolate truffles.

"Draco, today has been..."

"Magnificent? Unforgettable? Stupendous?"

"All of the above," Hermione laughed as she took a sip of some French pinot noir.

"It gets better," Draco whispered. Hermione looked at him while she drained the remnants of her glass. She quirked an eyebrow as she saw him fishing in his pockets. He smiled when he found what he was looking for.

Extending his long, lean arm across the table, he opened his fist and left a blue velvet box in his wake. Hermione gasped and looked up at Draco.

"Go ahead, open it," Draco coaxed. Hermione gulped and opened the box.

"Oh my gosh! I love it!" Hermione nearly screamed, trying to keep her voice down inside the restaurant. Inside the velvet confines, sat a thin silver ring. On the band, it had 'Draco and Hermione Forever' etched on the underside, while a single emerald glittered on the top.

"It's a promise ring, so hah, it's kind of the best I can do for now," Draco laughed. Hermione looked up, tears shining at the corners of her eyes.

"It's beautiful," Hermione whispered.

"As are you,"

"I love you, Draco Malfoy,"

"And I love you, Hermione Granger,"

**[End Flashback]**

Ron, Harry, and Ginny spent Christmas vacation at the burrow in Ron's bigger than big house. The twins made a few appearances, although Charlie and Bill were nowhere to be seen. Harry asked Ginny to be his girlfriend on Christmas, and Ron surprisingly kept his cool. Ron meanwhile, was presented with a brand new broomstick, signed by the entire Chudley Cannons Quidditch squad. Ron was tickled pink, hugging each and every person inside the Weasley household.

Spring came, and with it, came the Quidditch House Cup. The masquerade that was supposed to be held on Valentine's Day, was cancelled, due to swamp spell gone wrong. Hermione secretly cursed the Weasley Twins, because she knew they sold the swamp-in-a-box kits, and she knew from experience that even just the wrong amount of water would easily mess the spell up.

The swamp was supposed to be set up underneath Snape's chair, but it ended up flooding the entire Great Hall. And just like before, it took quite a while for the ingenuous teachers and caretakers to figure out how to clean it up. It wasn't until the end of the month that the Hall was completely swamp free.

The dance would have been rescheduled, had not the House cup semi-final and Championship been coming up. All the teams were too busy training and preparing for the days at hand. The Slytherin's especially, weren't about to let this house cup out of their grasp.

**[Flashback]**

Draco took a deep breath, and mounted his broom. He nodded to his teammates behind him, and the door was pulled open. The group flew out in unison, and flew over the screaming fans. Draco smiled because he knew Hermione was one of those screaming fans.

The Slytherin team swept across the sky, and coming more and more visible from below, the Gryffindor team made their grand entrance. Soon, Madam Hooch was out among the two groups, whistling for the game to begin and the balls released. First came the snitch, which unfurled its wings, stretched them a bit, and then whizzed out of sight. Next came to quaffles, which were tossed high in the air. The whistle was blown as the bludgers were set loose. Crabbe and Goyle set out after the bludgers as Draco soared high above everyone else to keep an eye out for the snitch.

"How are you and Hermione doing?" Draco heard a voice next to him yell. Without looking up, he knew it was his new...acquaintance, Harry Potter. Draco couldn't very well call Harry his enemy, as they were now more tolerable of each other, but they definitely weren't the best of mates quite yet.

"Fine, fine. What about you and the mini Weasel?"

"Ginny and I are great, too," Harry replied, completely ignoring Draco's attempted insult.

"No matter what happens out here, no hard feelings!" Harry called out. Draco turned to the Boy-Who-Lived and nodded, adding with a smirk:

"May the best man win,"

Nearly fifteen minutes passed, with nary a sighting of the golden snitch. Draco noticed that Harry was enthralled with watching Ginny speed around below him, tossing and catching the quaffle about with fellow teammates. He would occasionally cheer obnoxiously loud when Ginny managed to score. Draco rolled his eyes and flew in a different direction.

His sharp eyes scanned the pitch. Suddenly, he saw the snitch jump through one of the three rings, and through the spread legs of Blaise Zabini. The snitch then flew left, right, and finally spiked upwards. Draco who had been leisurely making his way over, went into overdrive. He dove down beneath the snitch, to try to come up from under it, catching the floating ball by 'surprise.'

Then, with a turn standard of a snitch, it flew left, out of Draco's grasp, and flew higher. Harry, who had seen Draco fly frantically to his right, sped over. Harry too, had caught sight of the snitch. The snitch hovered in the air as both boys flew closer and closer at their top speeds. Both held a hand outstretched, the other keeping the broom straight. The boys were about to collide, and of course the snitch dove down. Harry tried to pull up, stopping inches away from an imminent collision. Draco, however, slowed only slightly, then kicked off of Harry's broom, propelling himself downwards.

Draco stretched his hand out, and snatched the snitch (AN: sounds funny to me, lol). The crowd exploded in applause, and Draco pumped his fist in the air; The crumpled wings of the snitch sticking out from the gaps between his leather gloves.

"And Slytherin wins the Quidditch House Cup!" the announcer shouted. Hermione squealed, while the girls and boys around her groaned and applauded sadly. Hermione frowned slightly when she looked at the people surrounding her. It was tough having a boyfriend in another house!

Draco landed softly on the ground, and was immediately swarmed by teammates, friends, and anyone else who wished to mob the platinum blonde boy. Through the rush of people, Draco could see Hermione pushing her way through, until she was finally hugging onto him for dear life. Hermione kissed him and squeezed him, while Draco received the large golden cup. He raised it high above him, and passed it around to his teammates.

Hermione got on tiptoe and kissed Draco's cheek.

"I'm so proud of you!" She repeated over and over. Draco smiled, and picked up Hermione, bridal-style. He pumped his fist once more and shared a few knowing winks with the likes of Blaise before setting off towards their room, where only Hermione and Draco knew what went on. But everyone knew they weren't going to talk about it any time soon...

[End Flashback]

The last few months passed even faster than the proceeding months, and soon, it was their graduation day.

**[Flashback]**

Hermione stood proudly in her black robes, with the Hogwarts Crest over her heart, and clear tears collecting in her eyes. She stood on a platform with her fellow 7th years, arranged in alphabetical order. She peered down the row, and saw Draco looking solemnly out at the crowd, and beyond him, Harry was leaning out, the tassel of his hat hanging in his face, and was waving slightly. Hermione smiled and waved back.

"Attention everyone! These past seven years, I think we can all agree, were very eventful indeed. Our very own students managed to stop the Dark Lord on several occasions, escaping with only a few scratches. I've watched these fine young men and women grow up before my very eyes. I am very confident that with these fresh young minds holding the reigns of the future, the future will be bright and prosperous for all of us!" Dumbledore said to the crowd. The parents, teachers, and former students all stood up, clapping as loud as they could. A few even stomped their feet in time with each other.

"Now, let us begin the ceremony! Miss Hannah Abbott!" Dumbledore read off the names, and hugged and shook the hands of the students as they passed. Professor McGonagall stood beside him, handing the students their diplomas as they passed.

"Miss Hermione Granger!" Dumbledore said the name fondly. The crowd clapped, and Draco whistled loudly.

Hermione stepped forward, careful not to trip or fall or do anything embarrassing like that. She made her way over to Dumbledore, tears blurring her vision. She embraced Dumbledore tightly, smiling all the while. She reluctantly let go of the bearded headmaster, and made her way to Professor McGonagall. Minerva smiled weakly, tears forming in her own eyes, as the two women embraced. Once they separated, Minerva smiled softly and proudly handed Hermione her diploma. Hermione smiled back at her favorite professor as she walked down the steps to sit with her fellow students.

Soon it was Draco's turn. Draco came up, nodded solemnly to Dumbledore before shaking his hand. But Dumbledore's grin proved to be infectious, as Draco felt a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. The two men shared a hardy handshake, and Draco stepped towards Professor McGonagall. He nodded out of respect, and the professor pulled him in for an impromptu hug. Draco coughed, and hesitantly hugged back. Once they separated, Minerva smiled a disarming smile at him, and handed him his diploma.

Once the students had all walked past the Headmaster and received their diplomas, Dumbledore turned to the students.

"To the students of the year of nineteen hundred and ninety eight, you've made it!" Dumbledore said as everyone erupted in applause, the students throwing their caps up in the air in triumph. Hermione ran over to Draco and they kissed passionately as their friends shook hands and hugged around them.

**[End Flashback]**

After graduation, Hermione, Harry, and Draco all enrolled to become Aurors, and started training immediately. Ron on the other hand, got involved with the ministry of magic, in the muggle department. The likes of Luna 'Looney' Lovegood got into newspaper business, working under her father but as a photographer. Lavender and the Patil sisters opened their own chain of fashion stores, claiming that their mission was to redress the wizarding world. No one really knows what happened to Blaise Zabini, although he mentioned something about heading to America to charm the girls there. Crabbe and Goyle worked under the Ministry as well, doing all of the various grunt work required in Britain.

Years passed by slowly, with only a few words here and there from their old schoolmates. Ron had become Head of his department in the Ministry, and word had spread that Blaise was marrying a woman from San Francisco. But that was all Harry, Hermione, and Draco heard from their friends.

The minute the trio graduated from their Auror training classes, they were immediately put to work. Hermione and Draco were to pose as a couple in muggle Scotland, looking into death attempts on the Puddlemere United quidditch team, which boasted that they had the best keeper in world, Oliver Wood. Harry was to go to the South of Italy, to penetrate an Italian wizarding mob.

One night, after Hermione and Draco had arrested the author of the death threats, they lounged around in their second floor flat. It was very modest, since they were hardly ever there, yet it was still plush and comfortable. The two were enjoying a night of cuddling and consoling while thirty odd white candles flickered about.

"Hermione, can I ask you something?" Draco asked, shifting nervously on the couch.

"Sure, what is it?" Hermione asked in return, running her fingers through his soft blonde hair.

"Do you love me?"

"I do, with all my heart. Why do you ask?" Hermione questioned. Something was up, but she kept her cool, and kept touching Draco's hair and face. Suddenly, Draco stood up and looked down at him, paranoia and excitement written all over his face.

"Hermione..." Draco started, as he lowered himself to the ground.

"Hermione Granger, will you marry me?" Draco asked pulling a box seemingly out of nowhere.

Hermione gasped, and stared at the diamond that glittered back at her. Tears sprang to her eyes as she tackled Draco to the floor in a flurry of kisses.

"Of course I will!" Hermione yelled. Draco smiled, and from his position from underneath her, he removed the promise ring from her ring finger, and placed on the wedding band.

"I love you," Draco said softly.

"I love you, too darling,"

**_FIN_**

**Alright, here's a HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed: You guys seriously ROCK! it's people like you that make me want to write! So thanks for everything guys! It's great to open my email every day and be reminded that I'm the author of a fic that so many ppl like, so ::tear tear:: THANK YOU!!!!**


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